The Carriage Ride
by blue sapphire lady
Summary: The Golden Trio is forced to take a painfully long carriage ride with none other than a grumpy Draco Malfoy. Unfortunately for the clueless Hermione, Malfoy's plan to flirt with the witch to get "her bodyguards" all angry gets a little bit out of control.
1. Raining Cats And Dogs

Title: The Carriage Ride

Title: The Carriage Ride

Summary: The Golden Trio is forced to take a painfully long carriage ride with none other than a grumpy Draco Malfoy. Unfortunately for the clueless Hermione, Malfoy's plan to flirt with the witch to get "her bodyguards" all angry gets a little bit out of control.

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter characters.

A Draco/Hermione story

Chapter 1- Raining Cats and Dogs

The majestic train had finally come to a stop. People rudely shoved Hermione Granger as they eagerly tried to be the first ones to grab a carriage. Hermione frowned in annoyance as someone's sharp elbow connected to her upper arm. The young brown haired witch bit her lip, fighting the urge to give the person a piece of her mind. Crookshanks, who was sitting uncomfortably within Hermione's arms, kindly hissed angrily at the student.

_Good cat,_ thought Hermione as she petted his head absentmindedly.

Five minutes later, Hermione's feet landed on the platform. She stared around her, her eyes wide with disbelief. The Gryffindor student faintly remembered hearing people talking about the weather outside. She had thought that they were a little bit exaggerated, saying it was raining cats and dogs outside. Unfortunately, Hermione found that it was actually true as the rain started to pour on her.

A low moan escaped from her lips as she heard the whistle from the Hogwart's Express.

"This is utterly ridiculous," she said as she desperately tried to cover herself with her arms. She quickly forgot about that plan as she remembered that she was carrying Crookshanks.

"What the hell!" exclaimed a surprised voice. The voice belonged to a surprised Ronald Weasley, as he jumped down from the train.

"Wow," was all Harry could say as he stood beside Hermione's right.

Although it was only six o'clock at night, the sky was a dark blue, looking as though it was nearing midnight. Dark purple clouds stood menacing over the castle and the train station. It was as if huge buckets were being poured from the sky, the droplets bigger than Snitches. The rain was too heavy for anyone to see more than a meter in front of side.

"I'm soaked already," whined a Ravenclaw girl angrily. "And it took forever to straighten my hair!"

Hermione gave a silent prayer that she hadn't decided to do anything special with her hair this morning. Her brown bushy hair was soaking in the rain like a sponge, looking like a terrible mess.

People ran in every direction, bumping into each other and the most unfortunate ones fell down, their clothes getting mixed with the thick mud.

Hermione could hear Hagrid's panicked voice booming through the screams of younger students.

"I feel so sorry for the first years. They have to take the lake," yelled Hermione sympathetically to Ron and Harry.

"Who cares? I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting a ride because I'm not walking," declared Ron as he stomped to his left, where he assumed the "big black thing" was a carriage. The rain had instantly dampened his mood and the redhead continued to grumble under his breath as he walked away.

And with that said, Harry and Hermione closely followed. Unlucky for Hermione, the water reached to her knees and she was having trouble walking.

_I'm wearing a skirt for crying out loud_! she cried in her head as she stared at Harry and Ron with obvious jealousy. _They at least have pants._

"Hermione, hurry up!" yelled Harry, turning around to see his friend struggling with an angry cat in her arms. He tried to move his wet hair from his face without success.

"Easy for you to say," Hermione yelled back scowling, "Plus Crookshanks is holding onto me for dear life. You know how she hates the water, let alone the rain,"

"So leave her," suggested Ron loudly, momentarily looking over his shoulder. Hermione glared at the redhead's back.

"Are you telling to let my own cat _drown_, Ronald Weasley?" asked Hermione loudly, her eyes accusing.

Ron muttered something under his breath but didn't look back while Harry tried to console the cat lover.

"Don't worry Hermione, Ron never means what he says. He just says it for the sake of saying it," Harry rushed in before Hermione could reply.

"You're just sticking up for him Harry, like you always do," retorted Hermione unkindly.

She continued to glare at Ron's back, wishing for once that she had the ability to drill holes with her eyes.

"No need to get all hysteric about it," said Ron after a while.

Harry groaned to himself, looking up at the sky, as if it had the answers as to why he had to deal with this every single day. It wasn't a good idea as the big raindrops slapped his face until Harry hid his face in his scarf.

He turned to see his friends and noted silently that a heated argument was starting to form. Hermione was accusing Ron of being inhuman and inconsiderate. Rnop retaliated, saying that Hermione had the weirdest taste in animals, also noting that Crookshanks was an ogre in disguise.

The angry witch ignored Ron since she was sure that if he insulted her cat again, she would hex him real good. Most of the carriages were leaving and about four were left. A few students were quickly entering a carriage nearby and someone's hand was pulling the doorknob from letting the rain come in. Just as the door was closing, Ron grabbed the doorknob with such unexpected force, that he swung the door, letting the rain spill inside.

"Hey Harry, hurry up," he called grinning, purposely ignoring Hermione as well. Hermione glared at Ron, feeling hurt.

"Having some trouble, Mudblood?" a male voice roared in Hermione's ears, a hot breath tickling her ear. It belonged to none other than Draco Malfoy.

Hermione jumped in surprise. She hadn't heard anyone coming behind her since she had been so absorbed in glaring at Ron. Losing her footing, she fell backwards, hitting Draco and the two crashed into the ground, Hermione on top of Draco. The blond Slytherin shoved Hermione off of him while trying to get up himself. Hermione vaguely heard Harry yell her name as the dirty water filled her mouth and nose.

Quickly getting up, Hermione spat the water out, a look of utter disgust on her features.

She opened her eyes to see Harry splashing his way towards her, a look of worry on his face. Ron, in the distance, was yelling something incoherent; swinging his one arm while his other arm held the carriage door opened. If Hermione didn't know any better, she was quite sure that she saw Ron kick a hand that was reaching for the door.

"Hermione, are you all right?" yelled Harry as he gave her his hand.

Before she could answer, a flash of lightning appeared in the dark blue sky that made the wet hair at the back of Hermione's neck stand up. The rumble closely followed.

_Oh, I hate lightning,_ she thought, fear starting to spread.

Finally finding her voice, Hermione squeaked, "Yeah, I'm fine thanks."

Just when Hermione was getting up, with the help of the still concerned Harry, a hand behind her grabbed her waist and pulled her down. Hermione let out a cry of surprise as she fell down once again.

_What is going on? _she thought angrily.

She sat up as she spat out the water a second time today.

"Do you think that was funny, Granger? Pushing me down like that?" yelled an outrage Draco. His usual shiny blonde hair was covered with muddy water, his hair sticking to his face. Crookshanks was hanging off of his shoulder for dear life, sinking his claws into the fabric and Draco's skin. His gray eyes stared at Hermione accusingly.

"Get this ugly beast away from me!" he yelled furiously, grabbing Crookshanks by the tail and yanking hard.

"Don't do that!" cried Hermione as she rescued her cat. She was feeling pleased as Crookshanks scratched the Slytherin badge on Draco's wet robes. However, what Draco had said earlier came back to Hermione's mind.

"It wasn't my fault, Malfoy! Maybe if you didn't scare me then we wouldn't be in this situation," she retorted, jabbing a finger on Draco's chest.

"Don't touch me, Mudblood. I don't want to get contaminated," snapped Draco, brushing where Hermione had touched him.

A ball of white-hot fury burst and surged through Hermione's body.

_How dare he call me that when this is his fault_? _And besides, can't he think of anything intelligent to say to me?_ Hermione thought.

"Don't call me Mudblood!" exploded Hermione in frustration and jabbed a finger on Draco's chest with more force.

"Mudblood, don't poke me!"

"Don't call me Mudblood, you ferret."

"Stop poking woman!"

"No!"

"What's wrong with the name Mudblood? It is a fit name for you after all," said Draco, smirking, low enough for only Hermione to hear.

Hermione opened her mouth to give Draco a piece of her mind when she felt someone trying to lift her up. She turned around to see Harry yelling.

"Oh right, sorry," Hermione said lamely as she got up. Before walking, she gave Draco one last dirty look and kicked water right in his face.

"Would you two go faster? There's only two more seats left," yelled a faraway voice. Ron was waving his free hand, impatiently telling them to run. His other hand was glued to the doorknob, keeping it open for his friends to enter.

An object hit Ron hard on the head and Hermione could faintly hear a string of profanities coming from him towards someone inside the carriage. Hermione reminded herself that she would talk to him about swearing to students since he was a Prefect as she ran as fast as she could to the carriage. There were three people outside. Harry, Hermione and Draco. And Hermione was sure as hell getting a seat in that carriage. She had enough swimming for the day.

But then to her horror, she saw Draco suddenly running past her, yelling a rude comment that was obviously directed towards her. Harry, who was oblivious that Draco was behind him, was pushed face first into the water.

_No! How dare he?!_ thought Hermione aghast as Draco reached the door.

But luckily Ron was ready for him. The moment Draco stepped on the stairs; Ron kicked him in the stomach, making Draco fall back. Ron laughed rather wickedly at the fallen Draco. Usually Hermione would have frowned upon Ron's disgusting behavior but today she'd let it pass.

Harry was second to reaching the carriage, his broken glasses hanging on his nose, a furious scowl on his face. Ron gave his friend a pat on the back, as he moved aside for Harry to enter.

"Hermione, you're the last one. Come one, you can make it," cheered Ron helpfully. Another flash of lightning slashed the dark sky.

_I hate lightning_, thought Hermione.

Since as far as she could remember, Hermione had always been afraid of lightning. It simply terrified her. She ran as fast as she could, passing by Draco who was still trying to get up.

Amidst her appearance, Hermione gave a small smile at her two friends as they helped her up. But the moment she sat down on the plush black leather, something overcame her as Ron closed the door, grinning from ear to ear.

"Weasel, open that door now," yelled Draco as he pounded against the door. The rain outside drowned his voice.

Hermione recognized the emotion that was bugging her. It was guilt. She was feeling guilty and starting to pity Draco, the wizard who had pushed her down and insulted. The same wizard who was yelling outside, freezing in the cold rain.

_And besides, wouldn't we get in trouble for leaving a student outside in this weather?_ thought Hermione, trying to ease her guilt.

"Ron?" said Hermione, trying to her redhead friend's attention as he high fived with Harry.

"Yeah?" he said, turning towards her, expecting a thank you.

"Let Malfoy in," said Hermione.

Whatever Ron was expecting, by the look of his reaction, it wasn't that.

"What?" asked Ron as though she had just asked him to marry one of his brothers.

"Let Malfoy in. It's not fair that he has to walk all the way to the castle," explained Hermione quietly.

"Are you off your rocker, Hermione? This is it! This is what we've been waiting for," cried Ron excitedly, his eyes sparkling.

"This is what?" asked Hermione, suddenly feeling annoyed. The other students sitting, all Hufflepuffs except for Luna, stared at Ron to Hermione back and forth as if it was a tennis match.

"I think that the redhead likes the girl," whispered a second year Hufflepuff girl with pigtails to Luna. Hermione, being the only one who had heard the girl's comment, blushed slightly.

"This is new ammunition to mock Malfoy for the rest of our lives!" declared Ron as though it was the most brilliant thing ever thought in human kind. Hermione rolled her eyes, at her friend's childish and immature thinking.

"Ron, seriously? Ammunition? Mock Malfoy for the rest of our lives? What's wrong with you! Just open the door," ordered Hermione, her patience dropping rapidly.

"I think they're going to kiss," the second year Hufflepuff girl continued to whisper to Luna.

Luna, who was wearing an odd expression on her face, while wearing something that looked similar to a turban, shook her head.

"No, they'll kiss in the rain. It's more romantic because the Sluggy Slugs give great luck to couples," explained Luna with an air of wisdom surrounding her. The Hufflepuff stared at Luna with an expression on incredulity.

"You know mate, she does have a point," said Harry, speaking for the first time.

"Oh betray me, who don't you?" cried Ron dramatically while Harry grinned, pushing his glasses back.

"I agree that we shouldn't mock Malfoy for the rest of our lives. Do you know how bored we'd get?" asked Harry with a crooked smile, earning a glare from Hermione and a pat on the back from Ron.

"Ron," said Hermione in a warning tone. Her tone reminded the two boys of Mrs. Weasley before she exploded. Ron muttered something under his breath, which only Harry caught, snorted with laughter.

"And ignore him," advised Hermione sternly as Ron unwillingly opened the door.

"Oh look! It bet he's her ex-boyfriend. The way she's sticking up for him is so cute," gushed the Hufflepuff girl. Hermione threw an annoyed look at the petite blonde blue-eyed girl seating in front of her.

But very quickly her attention came back to the blonde teenage boy standing in the rain.

A/N: Just doing a little bit of editing. I haven't given up on this story, I'm halfway through chapter 10.

Well, there you guys have the first chapter of "The Carriage Ride." I would really like some reviews! Thanks for reading.

blue sapphire lady


	2. A Series Of Crazy Events

Title: The Carriage Ride

(Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I was pleasantly surprised with how many reviews I got!)

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or any other characters. Excited for the seventh book though.

Previously on Chapter 1-Raining Cats And Dogs

"_Ron," said Hermione in a warning tone. Her tone reminded the two boys of Mrs. Weasley before she exploded. Ron muttered something under his breath, which only Harry caught, which he choked down with a laugh._

"_And ignore him," advised Hermione sternly as Ron unwillingly opened the door._

"_Oh look! It bet he's her ex-boyfriend. The way she's sticking up for him is so cute," gushed the Hufflepuff girl. Hermione threw an annoyed look at the petite blonde blue-eyed girl seating in front of her._

_But very quickly her attention came back to the blonde teenage boy standing in the rain._

Chapter 2- A Series Of Crazy Events

"Oi, you ugly ferret, get you furry ass here now or we'll leave without you," yelled Ron, staring down at the scowling Draco. Without another word, Ron turned his back towards Draco.

"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione from inside the carriage.

"What? I'm being nice," countered Ron. He unwillingly made way for Draco to enter inside, bumping into Harry.

Draco took his sweet time getting up; making sure that everyone was once again wet from the freezing rain. He left the door opened, pointedly looking at Ron, an expression clearly saying, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"How about you close the door, Malfoy," suggested Harry. Draco sneered at Harry before staring at the furious Ron.

"I'll give you a Galleon, Weasel," taunted Draco. Ron clenched his fists in anger.

"I don't want your dirty money, now shut the damn door," replied Ron viciously.

Hermione, tired of getting wet from the rain and sensing a fight coming, quickly and cleverly interrupted.

"Harry, could you please close the door?" she asked politely, giving him a pleading look. Harry nodded reluctantly and slammed the door shut. Ron gave Draco a venomous look. Draco smirked back.

"Guess you won't be getting that Galleon today. Too bad that your family will have to starve, I almost feel sorry for your parents," drawled Draco, edging Ron.

_What else am I supposed to do?_ he thought.

He couldn't believe his luck. He was stuck with the three people he hated the most with a bunch of Hufflepuff students he never recalled seeing his entire life. So he might as well have fun while he was stuck here for the time being. And the only way he could have fun was to make fun of Ron, Harry and Hermione.

_Especially her_, he thought, narrowing his eyes at the wet Gryffindor girl who was petting her cat.

It was entirely her fault that he was not only _drenched _but covered in _mud_ as well. His thoughts and ideas on how to ruin Hermione's year at Hogwarts were interrupted when he heard a Hufflepuff boy whisper something into his friend's ear.

"That guy is a jerk," whispered the Hufflepuff boy to his friend while his friend nodded.

"Would you look at this pitiful group of people?" said Draco still sneering, crossing his arms in front of him.

"I wouldn't be talking Malfoy, you're now part of the group," pointed out Hermione, looking right at him for the first time since he entered the carriage.

Draco merely glared back at her. Hermione responded with a raised eyebrow, silently challenging him to say something.

"Just sit down Malfoy or else," warned Harry, bringing out his wand. Draco snorted.

"No need to show everyone what a poor excuse of a wizard you are Potter. But if you really think about it, I guess that's reserved for Weasel," commented Draco lightly, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Malfoy, sit down," warned Ron this time, his ears turning red from the insult no doubt.

"I heard Potter once, I don't need his sidekick to repeat it," snapped Draco, scowling at Ron.

He then eyed the carriage for one specific reason. A spot to sit. It was only Ron and Draco who were left standing and Draco was not in the mood and never would be in the mood to show an act of kindness towards Ron. Unfortunately the only spot to sit (not including the ground) was right beside Hermione and her cat.

_Oh great. This is going to turn out ugly_, she thought as realization dawned on her. She saw the two boys eye the spot beside her. And then the two boys glared at each other.

And it did turn out ugly, just as Hermione predicted. Draco and Ron jumped for the spot where they were standing while Hermione covered her head with her arms while Crookshanks sat on Hermione's lap, hissing. Luck seemed to be on Draco's side as he miraculously landed beside Hermione. Ron, meanwhile, fell painfully on the ground, his head hitting the seat.

Draco was smirking triumphantly, pleased that he had a spot. Ron gave a cry of pain as he clutched his forehead while Harry asked if he was all right.

_Maybe it was better for Malfoy to walk_, thought Hermione, instantly regretting her choice of letting Draco inside.

"That is so sweet. Didn't you see how the two dived to sit beside her. They both like her so much," whispered the Hufflepuff girl. Hermione was seriously starting to get annoyed with this girl.

Just when she was about to ask Ron if she could help him (his forehead was swelling quite fast), her attention was quickly diverted. Hermione heard a low hiss between herself and Draco.

"What the hell is going on? Mudblood, is your thigh _hissing_ at me?" asked Draco in confusion.

"No Malfoy, my _thigh_ is not hissing at you," snapped Hermione, feeling herself blush.

"Then who's making that awful noise?" he snapped back. That's when it hit Hermione.

"Oh my gosh! You landed on Crookshanks' tail!" screeched Hermione, roughly pushing Draco aside.

The back of his head collided against the thick glass window and he started to swear violently. Hermione, meanwhile not noticing the swear words that were coming from Draco and Ron's mouth, cradled the cat into her arms as though it was her precious baby. The hissing quickly turned into a howl. Hermione started petting Crookshanks, trying to sooth her cat. She raised her voice to be heard over the howling.

"What the hell, Granger?" exclaimed Draco angrily, rubbing the back of his head. Hermione shot him a look that could kill.

"What do you expect? You sat on my cat, you poor excuse of a human!" snapped Hermione heatedly.

Hearing this, Draco's anger only mounted.

"Pardon me? "Poor excuse of a human"? Mudblood, I think you're talking about yourself," spat Draco.

Harry was immediately standing up, his wand pointed out.

"Malfoy, I dare you to say that again," said Harry, gripping his wand tightly. Ron was on the ground, rubbing his forehead, forgotten at the moment.

"Well see I could, since you're not pointing the damn wand at me, oh Boy-Who-Unfortuantely-Lived-And-Is-Blind," replied Draco.

"Um…Harry, he's right. You're pointing it a Hufflepuff kid," said Ron speaking up, still clutching his forehead with both of his hands.

Harry blinked and squinted very hard at the terrified boy sitting in front of him. He leaned closer, still trying to see if Draco was lying or not. He was barely more than inches away, their noses almost touching.

"Are you sure, Ron? He does have blonde hair," added Harry.

"Now Potter, I know you want to kiss the boy, but please don't do it in front of me. And don't pretend it's me either," said Draco sarcastically.

_Why is it that I'm stuck with a bunch of animals?_ thought Draco, rolling his eyes.

Harry immediately straightened and whipped around, blushing in embarrassment.

"Shut up Malfoy," he snarled angrily, pointing his wand at a different person.

"Harry, you're pointing it at me!" yelled Ron, backing away.

"Oh sorry mate. My glasses broke and I forgot the spell to fix them," explained Harry.

Hermione was ignoring everyone, her attention solely on Crookshanks. She tried in vain to quiet her cat. But the howling continued.

"Please, Crookshanks! Don't worry, he won't touch you anymore," said Hermione, clearly talking about Draco. She kissed the top of Crookshanks' head.

"Don't make me barf," muttered Draco under his breath.

In Draco's opinion, that cat was the ugliest animal he ever saw. He would have loved to say that right in front of Hermione's face but reading the expression on her face, he was certain that she wouldn't hesitate to hex him. If it was Harry or Ron, that would be a different matter entirely. Hermione knew so many spells and hexes that people two, three years older were just learning or practicing. So Draco fought the urge to comment on Hermione's ugly cat, not wanting his face or any part of his body disfigured or transformed.

_I'd look better than Weasley here, but still_, thought Draco.

"Harry, could you please hold him for a minute, he absolutely hates Malfoy," begged Hermione.

"Sure, no problem," muttered Harry unenthusiastically. Hermione grinned and got up and gave him her cat. The moment Crookshanks was in Harry's arm, he was silent. Hermione stared at her pet in amazement.

"He likes you," she concluded happily but by judging the look on Harry's face, Draco could rightly say that he wasn't pleased with the news.

_Who would be? The thing looks like a beast_, observed Draco.

Hermione sat back down beside Draco barely showing any signs that she knew he existed. He glared at her, not liking the feeling of being _completely_ ignored.

"Having a nice hair day, Mudblood?" he sneered at her, waiting for her response.

But she focused her attention on Ron, still not giving Draco the time of day.

"Ron, are you all right?" she asked, leaning forward to touch Ron's forehead. As simple as the movement was, a blush crept into Ron's cheeks.

"Actually it really, really hurts," said Ron, closing his eyes, a small frown appearing on Ron's forehead. A snort of disbelief was heard from Hermione's right.

Hermione grabbed her wand from her robes and muttered a spell under her breath. A flash of blue light burst from her wand and a small block of ice appeared mid-air. She grabbed it before it fell and gently moved Ron's big fingers away from his forehead. By doing that, a large purplish bump was revealed. Hermione light put the ice on the bump, circling it in slow motions. Ron was red as his hair as he stared at Hermione.

"It should stop the swelling," she said.

Just when Hermione was going to tell Ron to go see Madame Pomfrey later on, a voice interrupted her.

"My, my, aren't we having a romantic moment. Don't start crying now Weasley!" said Draco in a mocking tone, his voice high pitched. He pretended as if he was going to cry. Hermione turned to face him.

He couldn't help it. The way Hermione touched Ron's forehead made Draco feel angry for some reason. He couldn't really explain what he was feeling. He didn't want her to care for Ron like that.

"That's not funny, Malfoy," said Hermione coolly.

_Don't let him get the best of you_, she thought, ordering herself to stay calm.

Draco suddenly leaned forward, leaving only a few inches of space between the two. Hermione could feel his breath on her face and she forced her eyes open, not daring them to close. He had a mad gleam in his eyes that fascinated and scared Hermione at the same time. She hardly felt the ice slip from her fingers as she stared back

"Actually, I find it quite hilarious how you forgot to tend to your boyfriend all of a sudden," he whispered and winked that send shivers down Hermione's back.

She quickly turned away to see that he was right. The ice that was supposed to be melting on Ron's forehead was now sitting on Ron's lap. It took Hermione a while to realize that Ron had been saying very rude threats to Draco if he didn't move away from Hermione that instant (Harry was still holding Crookshanks).

Slightly turning her head, Hermione blinked in surprise as she saw Draco staring at her _again_. Then he shocked her out of her mind when he silently blew her a kiss. Hermione immediately turned around, her back facing him. Her eyes were as round as Galleons, her heart beating at an unnaturally fast pace.

_What the hell was that?_ she thought as she panicked. _Did he just blow me a kiss? _

She didn't imagine it as Ron saw it too, his face turning red like his hair.

End of chapter 2.

(Author's Note: Wow, I don't know why but it took me forever to edit this. This chapter is really long (in my opinion of course). Most of the times, I usually write a thousand something words for each chapter, but for this one I kept going on and on! As a quick remainder, there's probably going to be one or two more chapters left for this story. I know it's kinda short, but at the beginning I wasn't even planning on making this a short story. I started off as a one-shot but then it got too long so I changed it. See you guys soon! Looking forward to read your reviews!

blue sapphire lady)


	3. A Chaotic Mess

Title: The Carriage Ride

Previously on chapter 2- A Series Of Crazy Events

_What the hell was that?_ she thought as she panicked. _Did he just blow me a kiss? _

She didn't imagine it as Ron saw it too, his face turning red like his hair.

Chapter 3- A Chaotic Mess

_I'm stuck with a bunch of crazy Gryffindorks, might as well have fun_, thought Draco as he continued to stare at Hermione.

"Ron, stop that this instant! I can't believe you said that," said Hermione in shock, catching a few words here and there.

Ron turned away, his face hidden from Hermione's view but she did hear a soft "aw" from Luna and the Hufflepuff girl.

For the next five minutes, everyone sat in stony silence. The Hufflepuffs were all staring at Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco as though they had never seen anything so exciting and thrilling. Seeing the Hufflepuff girl, whose name was Amanda, giving the thumbs up to Hermione only worsened Hermione's mood. In response, even though she was going a little too far, gave her a very dirty look. Harry was sitting comfortably; trying to clean his glasses so the fuzzy people around him could take shape while Crookshanks was sleeping on his lap. Draco, meanwhile was staring at Hermione out of the corner of his eye, a small smirk forming on his lips.

_This is fun,_ he thought suddenly. _I should bug them more often. _

"Hey, why am I sitting on the ground?" asked Ron suddenly, breaking the long and awkward silence.

Taking his eyes off the very still girl sitting beside him, Draco briefly eyed Ron.

"Good job on showing everyone how thick you are," he snorted.

"Ooh, look. They're finally talking!" exclaimed Amanda, tugging on Luna's sleeve.

"Quiet Amanda, I'm pretty sure that I just saw some sort of creature fly into Hermione's ear. I'm almost positive that I saw a picture like that in an article my father was writing for the Quibbler. It's so very interesting. I can't believe that I forgot the name but I do remember one thing. They only hide in people's ear that have a very bad hygiene," explained Luna, her voice loud enough for everyone in the carriage to hear.

Harry, who was still cleaning his glasses, snapped them by accident as he stared wide-eyed at Luna.

_Is this girl crazy?_ thought Draco. The odd thing was that Luna didn't have any malice in her voice whatsoever.

Everyone slowly turned around to see Hermione's reaction. Her mouth was open in shock and her eyes were dark. She was very, very mad. Her attention was directly solely on Luna.

"Excuse me?" she asked in a deadly whisper.

Draco, unlike everyone else who was staring at Luna and Hermione, was staring at Harry and Ron.

_Now let's see. What would honestly tick those two off?_ he wondered. Then suddenly an evil smile spread across his face as he was just hit with inspiration.

Draco, acting cool and collected, put an arm around Hermione's shoulder. That earned a gasp from Amanda and everyone forgot about the tension between Luna and Hermione.

"What-what are y-you doing?" stuttered Hermione, her anger disappearing. She looked so nervous and confused that made Draco almost thought she looked cute. Almost.

"Nothing really," replied Draco quietly, quiet that only Hermione could hear.

What he did next shocked everyone but most importantly Hermione. Taking not a second longer, Draco lightly bit Hermione's earlob and tugged on it playfully. Letting go, he slowly licked the inside of Hermione's ear before sitting back comfortably; the biggest smirk on his face as though he was king of the world.

Hermione was still as stone, a shocked expression on her face. But everything around her was chaotic.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Did you see that, Luna? Did you see that, Luna?" squealed Amanda, sounding like a broken record, repeating over and over again.

Harry was repeatedly asking what was going on, saying that he couldn't see anything. Ron, meanwhile, looked as if he was about to have a heart attack. The Hufflepuffs boys, who were younger than the Golden Trio and Draco by one or two years, were laughing and making rude jokes that made half of the Hufflepuff girls blush with embarrassment (Amanda being an exception as she wasn't paying attention to them).

"Malfoy, I swear I am going to kill you!" yelled Ron so loud that Hermione flinched at the volume.

"Ron, where are you? What's going on? What happened? Is Hermione all right?" asked Harry, a million questions shouting out of his mouth. He waited impatiently for an answer to find that momentarily he was being ignored. Crookshanks, who had been sleeping on Harry's lap, was thrown off as Harry jumped up. The surprised cat gave a hiss as he painfully hit the ground.

Ron stood up, looking quite menacing indeed with his large bump, looking as though something was growing from his forehead. Draco didn't know why, but it oddly reminded him of Mad Eye Moody.

Ron grabbed his wand out of his pocket, stared at it then thought better of it. He tucked it back into his robes.

"I'm going to beat you up with my own hands," he said, rolling his sleeves up while standing up.

Draco snorted in response. Hermione, meanwhile, slowly and tentatively raised her hand and touched her ear with her long and slim fingers. Draco stared at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing for the first time that she had very beautiful skin.

_Hmm, never really noticed that before_, thought Draco. And for some reason, he stored that information somewhere in his mind.

"What is GOING ON?" yelled Harry, swinging his arms in frustration.

Ron stared at Hermione then back at Harry.

"Don't worry Hermione, I'll be right back," promised Ron before quickly moving towards Harry, to explain the situation.

Draco couldn't help but to snort out loud and roll his eyes.

"Honestly Weasel, it's only two steps away. Surely you can manage the distance. The hunger isn't killing you, is it?" sneered Draco.

"Shut it Malfoy! I'm already going to kick your ferret ass, you don't want me to do it again!" warned Ron as he stood beside Harry.

"Oh really?" asked Draco with a raised eyebrow.

Something in Draco's voice made Hermione snap out of her daze and stare at him. The intensity in her stare made Draco speechless for a moment.

_What the hell is wrong with me? I don't actually like her, it was just a joke,_ thought Draco trying to explain the weird feeling in his stomach.

Within a few quick seconds, Draco skillfully masked the nervousness that showed on his face. But he couldn't squash that weird feeling that was traveling through his body, as he stared back. Then he took his plan to phase 2.

Gently he brought his hands into Hermione's wild, bushy hair, playing with her hair. What he had been expecting was rough, uncombed hair and that he couldn't get his hands out. But to his great surprise, he found that Hermione's hair was so smooth and so soft. He realized that he didn't even want to get his hands out of her hair. Hs fingers refused to leave Hermione's hair while his mind was screaming at him to stop. Draco's plan of getting Ron and Harry angrier quickly faded from his mind as he leaned closer, his eyes locked into hers.

"So you hold him from the back and I'll punch him on the face. Oh yea, here's your glasses, that ought to do it- Malfoy, get your slimy fingers away from Hermione!" roared Ron suddenly as he saw Hermione and Draco barely a few inches apart, their noses almost touching.

Suddenly the carriage came to a sudden halt, throwing everyone inside in different direction. Luna's turban look-a-like hit Amanda square on the jaw, while Ron and Harry both hit each other on the forehead. Ron cried out in pain, clutching onto his bump that was getting larger. The Hufflepuff boys and girls were on the ground, on top of each other. Hermione, who had pulled away when she heard Ron's voice, went smashing into Draco's chest.

"Ow," she moaned.

It took her a while for her to realize where exactly she was. Her eyes widened and she bolted her head up, smashing right into Draco's chin. The carriage was filled with cries of pain and grumbling.

"If it's not too late, let's throw Malfoy out," suggested Ron as a new bump, right over his left eyebrow started to form.

"Are we there yet?" asked a Hufflepuff boy. Harry opened the door to see that they still had some distance to cover before reaching the castle.

"By the looks of it, I think we hit an animal," yelled Harry over the howling wind.

"Well, close the door for Merlin's sake!" cried Draco angrily; clutching his chin while Hermione massaged the top of her head.

End of chapter 3.

(A/N: I know that this chapter isn't as long as the first two, but the next chapter will be longer than this! And yes, I decided to add one more chapter. Thanks for all the reviews!! Loved them all.)


	4. Missing Crookshanks

Title: The Carriage Ride

Disclaimer: Don't own anything Harry Potter related.

Previously on chapter 3- A Chaotic Mess 

"By the looks of it, I think we hit an animal," yelled Harry over the howling wind.

"Well, close the door for Merlin's sake!" cried Draco angrily as he clutched his chin while Hermione massaged the top of her head.

End of Chapter 3

(A/N: Since you guys keep asking it to be longer, I won't make this the last chapter. I guess I should have written "The Long Carriage Ride", lol)

Chapter 4- Missing Crookshanks

"Can this get any worse?" asked Hermione to no one in particular.

"Your cat just fell outside and it looks like the little beast is drowning," observed Draco casually as though they were talking about something that held no real significance. Hermione went deathly pale.

"Oh my gosh! Crookshanks!" she yelled frantically. She jumped to her feet in a blink of an eye.

She stepped on a few feet (and Ron's fingers as well since he was laying on the ground), while desperately trying to leave the crowded carriage. Images of Crookshanks' dead body only made Hermione panic even more.

The door was open, the howling wind making it swing back and forth. Just when Hermione was about to jump outside, the carriage door slammed shut by the strong force of the wind. A surprised Hermione hit the door face first.

She fell back, her hands immediately reaching for her nose, her eyes watering. She vaguely heard some one call her name as she fell on something soft.

_The ground is very soft_, she thought absentmindedly. When Hermione opened her eyes and looked behind her, she saw that she had fallen on Ron.

"Hermione, are you all right?" asked a terribly concerned Harry.

Hermione slowly nodded, as she reached for Harry's outstretched hand and got up. She muttered a quick apology to Ron but he ignored her. It seemed that Hermione falling on top of him was the least of his worries. A pair of muddy boots was sitting on top of Ron's head, the mud dripping on his hair and nose. Ron's face and ears were as red as his hair.

"I am going to give the person who has their bloody feet on my head two seconds before I send their sorry ass to Bulgaria," he growled menacing, his eyes closed.

The Hufflepuff boy, who Harry had mistaken as Draco a few minutes ago, looked down to find his boots sitting comfortably on Ron's head. His eyes widened in fear as he brought his feet up to his seat.

Ron slowly turned his head and opened his eyes, hearing a whimper. The poor terrified boy had turned pale as he raised one finger and pointed it to his friend sitting beside him.

"He did it, I swear it on my owl's life," he said, giving the blame to his brown-haired friend while betraying his friendship in a blink of an eye. Ron was now standing, towering over the boy, his wand out pointing at the blonde Hufflepuff.

"What are you talking about, Jeff? You don't even have an owl," protested his friend, angry of his friend's betrayal and scared of the furious Gryffindor.

Meanwhile, Hermioe was disagreeing with Harry's idea of getting the cat himself.

"Harry, it's my cat! He is my responsibility," cried Hermione repeatedly as she tried to push Harry away from the door.

But Harry was stronger than he looked and he didn't move an inch amidst Hermione's tugging and pushing. She cursed under her breath. She knew that Harry cared for her but this was absolutely ridiculous! The worse that could happen would be that she fell down…again…for the third time today.

"Well, I think the cat drowned already. I guess I'll have to save the dead body then," said Draco, suddenly behind a panicking Hermione.

Hermione whipped around to face him and tell him to mind his own business but Draco had other things in mind. He lightly pushed her aside so that she was now sitting on a surprised but content Hufflepuff boy's lap. The red head boy grinned at his friend, his face flushed with pleasure. It was clear that he didn't mind a Gryffindor girl a few years older than himself to sit on his lap.

Unable to help himself, Draco gave the grinning boy a glare. "Don't push it," he warned angrily at the now solemn boy, who was nodding his head. Draco didn't know why he suddenly felt angry, since it _was_ him who put Hermione there. But one thing was for certain, and that was he couldn't stand the smirking and the grinning on that boy's face.

_Acting like she's some kind of prize_, he thought sourly. He turned around to see Harry staring at him oddly.

"Come on, Potter. Don't tell me that you got the hots for me too," said Draco dramatically, waving his hair back. Harry narrowed his eyes at his enemy.

"Malfoy, just sit down. You're a nuisance already," said Harry. Hermione, meanwhile was trying to get up from the boy's lap.

"Don't let her get up!" yelled Harry and Draco in unison, glaring at the boy. Hermione stared at the two in outrage.

"Excuse me? I will stand up when I please! I can make my own choices," snapped Hermione heatedly.

But the Hufflepuff boy was getting help from his friend and the two were now holding Hermione hostage. It was a very odd sight with Hermione being hugged by two boys, a few years younger than her.

_They don't have to look like they actually like it,_ thought Draco angrily, wishing to wipe the annoying expression on the boys' faces.

"I've never been more humiliated," muttered Hermione as her face turned scarlet.

"You can sit on my lap instead," grinned the Hufflepuff boy, who's name was John. He was holding on to her waist more tightly than Hermione would have liked.

"She's so lucky. Look at how all the guys like her. Maybe I shouldn't brush my hair for a week and I'll get the same look," said Amanda as she stared hard at Hermione's fuzzy hair.

It was as if she was trying to soak in every detail. The hair color, the length and the "style." It was too bad that Amanda had been too preoccupied looking at Hermione's hair than her face, or else she would have shrunk back in her seat in fear. Hermione's eyes were blazing dangerously as they narrowed down at the petite girl who had been one of the people that were really trying her patience.

"She doesn't want to sit on your lap. She wants to sit on mine!" cried the boy angrily as he glared at his friend.

"No girl wants to sit on a guy who has a contagious rash on their legs, Sean," John spat evilly.

"That's it! I'm not sitting on anybody's lap!" yelled Hermione as she jumped up and pulled out her wand, daring the two boys to object.

_I can't believe it. A rash, I better not get it_, thought Hermione horrified.

The two boys glared at each other, each blaming the other for Hermione's departure.

"Now, I am going to save my cat. Move out of the way," growled Hermione as she faced Draco and Harry who were fighting over the door. Unfortunately for Hermione, her voice was drowned amidst all the fighting.

"Get your hands off the doorknob, Malfoy."

"You get _your_ hands off the doorknob, Potter. I know you want to touch me-"

"Shut up, Malfoy!"

"_You _shut up, Potter."

"Would you two stop arguing and do something!" cried Hermione loudly.

Harry and Draco stopped their fighting and turned to see the tip of Hermione's wand pointed at the both of them. Draco merely raised an eyebrow, challenging her while Harry quickly opened the door.

"Ladies first," said Draco, smirking down at Hermione.

She glared at him before she jumped off the carriage, quickly being followed by Harry. Draco jumped off the carriage last, wondering why he even bothered to volunteer. Harry, who had been watching Draco out of the corner of his eyes, mimicked Draco's thoughts out loud.

"Why are you helping us, Malfoy? What are you on to?" he asked suspiciously. Draco rolled his eyes.

"You see, I planned this all along. Now that you two are alone, I can kill both you and Granger and send the dead bodies to the Dark Lord," replied Draco sarcastically. Harry pointed his wand at Draco's chest, clearly not enjoying his sarcasm.

"I'm serious, Malfoy. You better tell me right now," warned Harry seriously. Draco resisted the strong urge to kick Harry in the shins.

"What are you two doing? I thought you guys where going to help me find my cat," said Hermione somewhere to Draco's right. Draco smirked and looked pointedly at Harry's wand.

"There's a good boy, Potter," he drawled as Harry moved his wand away from Draco.

_I better be a little more careful around him_, thought Draco as he neared Hermione.

_Wouldn't it be better if I just accidentally hit Potter and only Hermione and I return back to the carriage_, he thought, an evil smile on his face.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Ron was questioning two Hufflepuff boys, scaring them out of their wits. Two other Hufflepuff boys were fighting; Amanda was talking about the love triangle between Hermione, Draco and Ron to an interested Luna as she was trying to grab another magazine out of her turban look-a-like. Little did they know that a cat was sleeping in a corner, hidden by the shadows.

(A/N: Huge thanks for all those reviews, you guys never stop amazing me! Hope this chapter was satisfactory! I know that I said to some people that there would be more flirting in this chapter but I kinda had a sudden inspiration and changed it a bit. Until next time!

Blue sapphire lady)


	5. Of Love Stories, Strangers And Mud

Title: The Carriage Ride

Previously on chapter 4-Missing Crookshanks

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Ron was questioning the two Hufflepuff boys, scaring them out of their wits. Two other Hufflepuff boys were fighting; Amanda was talking about the love triangle between Hermione, Draco and Ron to an interested Luna as she was trying to grab another magazine out of her turban look-a-like. Little did they know that a cat was sleeping in a corner, hidden in the shadows.

(A/N: Wow, that was a lot of reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll put Ron the spotlight for a few moments. On to chapter 5!)

Chapter 5- Of Love Stories, Strangers And Mud

"Tell me!" roared the angry redhead, the mud still dripping in his eyes. The two boys, who were held for questioning, gazed at the fearful looking Ron and the tip of his wand.

"It was him, I swear it on my rat's life-"

"You don't even have a rat either, you liar!"

"He always wants to get me in trouble, that's why he's saying that-"

"I didn't do it, I'm not stupid like you!"

Ron opened his mouth to shut the two but the thunder roared, silencing him. Ron turned around, asking Harry whom _he_ thought was telling the truth. Besides, Harry always had more patience than Ron and Ron needed him now. He stopped mid sentenced to see that Harry wasn't sitting at his usual spot. In fact, he wasn't in the carriage whatsoever.

"Where did everyone go?" asked Ron dumbfounded, his scowl fading.

Looking around once more, he saw that Hermione and Draco weren't in the carriage as well. Ron's imagination was suddenly put into action as he thought of a story to explain the three's absences. But it wasn't only Ron's imagination that was going wild.

"This is what happened," said Amanda suddenly, determined to have her spotlight.

And indeed, Ron was staring at her expectantly, not knowing what he was getting himself into. The other Hufflepuff boys and girls rolled their eyes and moaned in unison while Luna was now playing with an odd looking instrument that looked like a tube (which she got from her turban-look-a-like, totally unaware of anything surrounding her except for her music.

"The awfully handsome blonde Slytherin (Ron stared at her in disbelief) was suddenly overcome with something so powerful, so strong that it could kill him," whispered Amanda with a dramatic air.

Ron leaned closer, curiosity telling him to ask. The Hufflepuff girls quietly snorted, their shoulders shaking, obviously trying to hold in their laughter as they clamped their hands over their mouths. Luna continued to play her instrument, the carriage filled with squeaky high notes.

"What was overcoming him? Dark magic?" asked Ron excitedly, imagining Draco being possessed by a demon lord. He grinned evilly as he pictured the blonde Slytherin crying on the steps of Hogwarts after he was told that he had been expelled from Hogwarts because they had made a mistake.

"No, something even greater," Amanda replied, her big blue eyes staring solemnly at the now confused Ron.

"What? Greater than dark magic?" he asked, not trying to hide his disbelief but most importantly, his disappointment.

"Yes, it was jealousy," whispered Amanda.

This time the Hufflepuff girls couldn't contain their laughter anymore as they burst into loud fits of giggles. Ron's face was twisted into an odd expression as he stared at Amanda as though she had just farted out loud.

"Eh…what?" he asked after a while, ignoring the continuing laughter from the girls. He was hoping he heard wrong.

"The Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, is jealous," confirmed Amanda with a single nod of her head, her blonde ringlets bouncing up and down.

"What the hell is he jealous about?" asked Ron impatiently, swinging his arms in the air.

"He was jealous that Bushy Hair Girl was liking the attention that Harry Potter was giving her. So unable to contain any longer, he did the only thing he could do. In a loud ferocious yell that could only compete with a lion's roar (Ron stared at her with a raised eyebrow) he points his wand at Bushy Hair Girl. Red light burst from the tip of his wand and hit Bushy Hair Girl in the face. She fell down as though she was suddenly sleeping, but before she fell on the hard ground Draco Malfoy catched her in his strong arms," Amanda stopped only to take a deep breath. Her cheeks are rosy from all the excitement and once she has taken another big breath, she continues her love story.

"Draco Malfoy opened the carriage door, saying a farewell to the angry Harry Potter and jumped off the carriage, Bushy Hair Girl still in her arms. Harry Potter was angry beyond words because Draco Malfoy had said that they were off to the altar where no one would be able to separate them anymore. Harry Potter ran outside but not before saying that he would bring back his love in one hand and Draco Malfoy's head in the other," finished Amanda, her eyes filled with tears, looking off somewhere in the distance.

Throughout the whole dramatic love story, Ron had come to one conclusion. Loony Luna wasn't that loony compared to Amanda. That was counting Luna's screechy music that earned more glares than looks of approval or adoration.

"What kind of explanation is that?" asked Ron rather angrily. Amanda stared at him with a surprised look.

"You asked me to tell you a story," she replied blankly, unable to understand why Ron was angry with her.

"No I didn't! I asked you where my friends were!" hissed Ron, his face livid. The laughter in the carriage died down as everyone stared at the fuming red head.

Two Hufflepuff boys who were sulking with their arms crossed, answered Ron's question in unison. "Your friends went outside to find the pretty girl's cat," they said in a monotone voice. They glared at each other then turned away.

"Outside! They left the carriage!" cried Ron in shock, his eyes bulging.

"She was really worried that her cat had drowned, you see," explained Luna, trying to calm the shocked Ron.

"They left without me," muttered Ron to himself in a hurt tone. The two boys sitting in front of the red head silently moved to the corner of the carriage. It was clear on the expressions written on their faces that they didn't want Ron's attention anytime soon.

Without another glance or word, Ron walked to the carriage door, swung it open. Everyone was instantly invited with a spray of ice-cold water and a strong wind making them wrap themselves tightly with their black cloaks.

The purple and dark blue menacing clouds were gone, replaced with a black sky, half of the pale moon shinning. The rain continued to fall down, fast and hard but nonetheless Ron jumped down on the wet ground. Mud splashed onto Ron's clothes but he walked blindly in front of him, yelling his friends' names.

"Did you hear something?" asked Harry suddenly as he stood up.

He had been crouching on all fours for Merlin knows how long, his hands desperately wanting to find a tail of a cat to end Hermione's non stop worries.

"Go back to work, we have to find Crookshanks," ordered Hermione somewhere near Harry's right.

"Yes Potter, don't you have any sympathy for the dead cat?" asked Draco in a small whisper that didn't reach Hermione's ears.

Although Harry couldn't see the blonde Slytherin, he could tell that he was smirking in the dark. Harry clutched his fists in anger, his temper getting the better of him. Images flash into his mind of Draco begging for forgiveness over and over again.

_Wish it would happen_, he thought bitterly as he continued to search for Crookshanks on all fours. But his ears were alert, picking up the smallest sound because Harry was certain that someone had been calling his name.

Harry hadn't been the only one to hear a yell somewhere but Draco wasn't going to say anything anytime soon. If he was correct, that voice sounded very much like it belonged to Ron.

_I'm already suffering by having Potter's presence near mine, I don't need Weasley to make it worse_, thought Draco as he pretended to look for the cat. Unlike Hermione or Harry, the only thing that was touching the mud was his shoes and nothing else.

"Go on all fours like a savage? I think not," snorted Draco as he stuffed his hands in his pockets out of pure boredom.

"Did you say something, Malfoy?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"Nothing worth your interest, Potter. Go back to work," Draco sneered. But Hermione's yelling drowned his voice down.

"Crookshanks! Crookshanks!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. If the two weren't mistaken, it sounded like Hermione was near hysteria.

_That can't be good_, thought Draco. _I think it's time to ditch Potter._

"Granger, come here," he called suddenly, hoping to be heard over her calling and the rain. Hermione's yelling stopped instantly.

"Wait, I coming," called Hermione and Harry at the same time.

"No Potter, go back. Are you deaf? I didn't call your name, I called Granger's," snapped Draco, losing his already thin patience.

"It doesn't matter, Malfoy. We all came here for the cat, remember?" Harry snapped back with as much venom as he could muster as he got up from the ground and started to walk towards Draco's voice.

"What did you find?" asked Hermione breathlessly. She was suddenly at Draco's side, which gave him a shock. He was surprised that she had found him so quickly in the dark.

"Follow me," he whispered so that the approaching Harry couldn't be able to hear anything.

Draco turned around and started walking, leading the way. But it wasn't long until he collided with something hard. Slipping on the wet ground, Draco tumbled backwards, hitting the muddy ground. After all his efforts of staying clean the whole way to the castle, his clothes were not sprinkled with a little bit of mud, but drenched. Something heavy and alive fell on top of Draco, knocking the wind out of him.

"It's an attacker!" cried Hermione, totally losing her head.

"Hermione, what's happening? Are you all right?" yelled Harry's distant voice, while Draco was trying very hard to breath.

"It's an attacker! It's an attacker!" she repeated at the top of her lungs.

"Hermione! It's me," said the stranger, hoping to calm the distressed Hermione.

"He knows my name," whispered Hermione horrified as Harry ran as fast as he could to his friend's aid.

"Hermione, come on. I'm looking for your cat," continued the stranger. His identity was hidden by the dark but his voice sounded oddly familiar.

"He knows about my cat," whispered Hermione, going deathly pale.

"You idiot, get off of me," Draco managed to say, his voice barely over a whisper. The stranger lifted himself off of Draco, not bothering to give an apology.

"Stay where you are," warned Harry, who had finally arrived with his wand out, light coming from the tip of it. The stranger turned out to be Ron.

"Oh," said Hermione, blushing scarlet at her embarrassing perfomance.

"You three will turn out great witches and wizards," said Harry sarcastically as he pointed his wand to Hermione, Ron and finally Draco. All three of them didn't say anything embarrassed that they forgot to use their wands.

After five more minutes, Ron had joined the little party search for Hermione's lost cat.

"Hey Hermione," he said suddenly with a forced casualness.

"Yes, Ron?" asked Hermione, hoping that he wouldn't mention about her screaming when she thought he was an attacker.

"You're not in love with Malfoy or planning to marry him, are you?" he finally asked in a rush, the tip of his ears going red.

Another five minutes later, Ron was still rubbing the back of his head, the exact spot where Hermione had slapped him.

"At least it's better than her saying yes," he muttered to himself.

End of chapter 4

(A/N: Wow, it has been a long time since I've posted. I'm really sorry but I was traveling, visiting family members and I just got home. Then there's the long process of unpacking _everything_ and cleaning the house because it's been empty for so long. But I'm back and I'm hoping to add a few more chapters before school starts! Love to hear reviews! (And I will answer everysingle one, I'm getting to that).

bye for now)


	6. Prove It

Title: The Carriage Ride

Previously on Chapter 5- Of Love Stories, Strangers and Mud

"You're not in love with Malfoy or planning to marry him, are you?" he finally asked in a rush, the tip of his ears going red.

Another five minutes later, Ron was still rubbing the back of his head, the exact spot where Hermione had slapped him.

"At least it's better than her saying yes," he muttered to himself

Chapter 6- Prove It

Now that Ron was certain that Hermione wasn't secretly and madly in love with Draco Malfoy, his mood turned cheerier. He actually agreed to get his pants dirty for the sake of Crookshanks the cat, the sole animal he hated the most. But he was doing this all for Hermione because he knew that she loved that "stupid hideous beast".

But there was still one more thing that was bugging him. No matter how many times he tried to banish it from his mind, it kept coming back to him. His curiosity was eating him alive for Merlin's sake. And not only that, but suddenly his stomach became a home for snakes because that was the only logical reason Ron could think of as to why he felt as though he might barf.

_Harry and Hermione._

Ron shivered, silently praying that it wasn't true. It was all just a rather large figment of Amanda's imagination. But it still had Ron wondering and he hated it.

_Hermione and Harry._

_Both of their names start with H!_ he thought suddenly, the truth of it shocking him. _Is that a hidden message?_

"Ron, are you alright?" asked Harry, hearing Ron's little gasp of shock.

Rron stared at Harry and noticed that Hermione and Draco were far, which meant out of earshot. On usual occasions, Ron wouldn't let Hermione be unattended with only Draco (ever since a few things happening in the carriage that really deepened Ron's dislike of the blonde boy Draco Malfoy), but now he grabbed the opportunity.

"Say Harry, we've been best friend for a long time, right?" asked Ron, giving Harry a serious look.

"Um…yeah," answered Harry, trying to figure out where his friend was going with this.

"You'll tell me anything, right?" persistent Ron.

"Yes," replied Harry blankly.

"You swear there are no secrets between use, Harry? Because if there is, I will know!" said Ron, his voice getting louder and louder.

"Ron, stop shaking me, my glasses are going to fall," cried Harry annoyed. He grabbed them before they slipped off his nose, putting them back on to glare at his friend's weird behavior.

Ron blushed and muttered an incoherent apology. Then he took a deep breath and the questions started to pour from his mouth non-stop.

"Are you secretly and madly in love with Hermione? Why didn't you tell me? Are you guys ready to get married? Am I going to have to be your best man? Will you kill Malfoy and bring back his head with you? Will you-" said Ron, his face and ears turning tomato red.

The jet-black hair boy stared at Ron in bewilderment, not even catching half of what his embarrassed friend was saying.

"Ron, what the hell are you saying? Calm down, you're practically hyperventilating," interrupted Harry suddenly, concern for his friend's sanity.

He placed a comforting hand on Ron's shaky shoulder, wondering how far Ron's imagination ran this time.

"So it's not true?" asked Ron, not even trying to hide the hope and relief washing over his face.

"The part of being madly in love with Hermione? Of course, we fell in love the moment our eyes met," said Harry, giving his best serious look he could muster. He bit his lower lip, stopping himself from bursting into laughter.

Ron's face darkened immediately, giving his best friend a murderous glare. He raised his wand, pointing it at Harry. Harry's laughter died instantly.

"Ron. Ron! I was joking! It was a joke. Of course I'm not madly in love with Hermione," said Harry quickly before Ron made any rash actions that he would regret later. Ron looked uncertain, the wand in his hand wavering.

"You're not getting married?"

"No, sorry no wedding plans."

"Will you kill Malfoy?"

"N- _what?_"

"Are you going to bring back his head in one hand?"

"Ron, seriously, did you fall on your head on the way here? I think you need to see Madam Pomfrey," said Harry.

"So it's a no?" asked Ron.

"Well, unless you want to do it," joked Harry.

Ron dropped his wand to his side and gave Harry a goofy grin, his face and ears no longer red. Harry smiled back tentatively, in case Ron was going to question if he loved the Dursleys or not.

"I got you there, didn't I?" said Ron after some time.

"Oh yeah Ron, you're the best actor I know," replied Harry, hiding his smile.

But he knew that it was all real.

Meanwhile, Draco and Hermione were having a very different conversation.

"Malfoy?" came Hermione's quiet voice.

"Yeah, Granger?" answered Draco, as he kicked the ground here and there.

_I'm dieing to go back inside that carriage. Just have to ditch Potter and Weasel then I'll be fine_, thought Draco.

"Do you really think that my cat is dead?" asked Hermione in a sad whisper that Draco had to listen hard to hear. Whatever Draco was expecting Hermione to say, it wasn't that. There was a long silence, which Hermione played with her fingers with tears formed in her eyes. Draco, on the other hand, was trying to find something to say that wasn't too nice that would cause Hermione to be suspicious or that wasn't too sarcastic and mean in which she would slap him across the face. He gulped, thinking fast.

"You do think he's dead, don't you?" said Hermione, sounding a tiny bit defeated.

"No I don't," said Draco cautiously.

"You're just saying that," replied Hermione, anger mounting in her voice.

For some reason, Draco was becoming irritable as well.

"No, I'm not just saying that," he snapped.

"Prove it," challenged Hermione.

Drraco pointed his wand at her face, the light blinding her. She moved away while placing a protective hand in front of her face.

"Are you trying to blind me?" she snapped back.

But Draco didn't respond. His feet seemed to suddenly have a mind of its own and marched its way past the muddy ground to stand right in front of Hermione. He lowered his wand, muttering "Knox" under his breath. Hermione slowly dropped her hand, staring at Draco in confusion.

"Is some-something w-wr-wrong?" she stuttered quietly.

It seemed that Draco was mute for the time being as he didn't respond for the second time. His gray eyes stared intensely into Hermione's, his face inching towards her, both of their hearts hammering inside their chests. Hermione raised her head, her eyes never leaving his.

And then it happened. Their lips touched. It was a light, sweet kiss that lasted for only a few seconds. But for that few seconds, they forgot that they were outside in the dark, soaked to the bone and covered in mud. But as time had never stopped for anyone, it didn't make an exception for Draco Malfoy or Hermione Granger.

Both of them realized what they were doing at the same time. And that was when their sweet kiss ended as they pulled away from each other, not daring to look at each other in the eye.

End of Chapter 6

(A/N: I know, I am terribly cruel to end it like this. But at least they kissed in the rain, right? Love to hear what you thought about it!!!

chow for now!

blue sapphire lady)


	7. Nothing Ever Happened

Title: The Carriage Ride

Previously on chapter 6-Prove It…

Both of them realized what they were doing at the same time. And that was when their sweet kiss ended as they pulled away from each other, not daring to look at each other in the eye.

Chapter 7- Nothing Ever Happened

Silence roared between the two teenagers. Hermione's face was as red as a tomato as the realization of what she had just willingly done, dawned on her. The same was happening to Draco as he slowly raised his eyes.

Unfortunately, Hermione too raised her chocolate brown eyes. Making eye contact for barely over a second, the two instantly looked away as though they had blinded each other.

_What the hell just happened?_ thought Draco. The kiss replayed in his mind over and over again, his lips still tingling from the touch of Hermione's lips. _I just kissed Granger_!

Draco was confused. He never liked being confused. So there was only one thing he could do. Pretend quite arrogantly that the kiss never happened or existed.

With that concluded, Draco spoke, breaking the silence.

"Now I think your cat's dead," he said as though stating a fact.

Hermione immediately looked up and glared at Draco.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" said Hermione furiously.

"Nothing," answered Draco coldly. He suddenly wanted to leave Hermione all by herself. He feared that if he stayed with her any longer, he might kiss her again.

"What you just said wasn't _nothing_," snapped the brown hair girl darkly.

"I don't recall anything. My mind is a complete blank," responded Draco.

Hermione stared at him, her mouth wide open.

"You don't recall anything, do you? What just happened now, you don't recall that either?" she asked sarcastically. She took a few brave steps forward, standing only a few inches away from Draco.

"What did happen, Granger? I certainly don't know. Are you implying something?" asked Draco, giving her a well-meaning smirk.

Hermione blushed under his gaze.

_How dare he act like nothing happened? The opposite of nothing happened? And he was the one who did it first, _thought Hermione.

Draco stared down at the angry girl, knowing that if he said anything, she'd still be mad at him.

_Why should I care?_ he thought suddenly. _Since when did I ever care about Granger's feelings? _

He knew that Hermione wanted him to admit what just happened. But Draco was never going to admit it, let alone admit it _first._

"You know what I'm talking about, Malfoy. You're the one who started it," said Hermione, not realizing how much of a child she sounded.

"Maybe you should refresh my memory," Draco whispered, suddenly leaning forward, his lips brushing against her ear ever so lightly.

Inwardly, Draco was grinning like a fool. He liked having this taste of power over Hermione, something he didn't experience very often. Hermione, on the other hand, was undeniably nervous and angry at being in such close proximity with the blonde Slytherin.

Without waiting for Hermione's response, Draco walked away, purposely brushing his fingers against her cold arm.

"I'll be at the carriage," he said, his voice drowned by the heavy rain. He calmly walked away, his hands stuffed into his wet and muddy pockets.

Hermione stood still, the rain continuing to beat down at her. She was tired. She was worried about her Crookshanks and she was confused. The idea of not understanding something, no matter how small and insignificant it may be, drove Hermione crazy. And that was exactly what Draco was doing. Hermione was no fool, she knew that he was taunting her.

_Of course I won't be the first to say it_, she thought, letting out a humorless laugh escape her lips.

"Nothing ever happened," she said firmly to herself. But unable to help herself, her cold fingers hesitantly reached up to her red lips.

_Nothing ever happened,_ Hermione repeated mentally. She turned around and began walking to the carriage, deep in thought.

"Look, he's here!"

"He's _alive_!"

"Did you find your lizard?"

"Why did you go swimming?"

Dozen of questions burst out of the mouths of the excited and awed Hufflepuff students the moment their eyes fell upon Draco. Draco immediately regretted going inside. His smug expression was wiped clean. He glared at the little brown hair boy, clearly not amused.

"Do you honestly think I went swimming?" he hissed angrily. The boy silenced immeidiately.

_Annoying little runts_, he thought menacingly. _The moment I want some quiet I get some miny reporters jumping at my throat. _

"Where's your wife? Did you kill Harry Potter?"

The carriage instantly was quiet. Draco, who had decided to sit beside the brown hair boy just to terrify him, snapped to look at Amanda's direction.

"_What?"_ he asked shocked.

"Where is your wife? And what about Harry Potter?" repeated Amanda slowly as though she was talking to a person of lesser intelligence.

Draco scowled at her. Never once in his life had he ever seen her before in the castle, but listening to her talk for a few seconds made him realize something. He didn't like her very much.

"Who exactly is my wife? It seems you remember more clearly than I do," he answered coldly.

Amanda seemed oblivious by Draco's dislike of her as she gave him a warm smile.

"You know," she said in a sing song voice, "that bushy hair girl," she added as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Before Draco could answer Amanda's ridiculous statement, the door swung open. Stepping out of the darkness was none other than Bushy Hair Girl Hermione. Once Hermione's brown eyes met Draco's furious ones (he got hit by the swinging door), she glared at him and then pointedly looked away.

All eyes were on her as she looked around for a place to sit. Sitting beside the boy with the rash and his friend was out of the question. There was an empty seat beside Draco but Hermione was scared that she'll get too close and wring his neck. So that left the only seat available, which was beside Luna. How lovely.

Feeling very self-centered, Hermione walked to the empty space beside Luna. She sat down, careful not to knock off Luna's turban or get her musical instrument stuck in her eye. The wet Gryffindor crossed her arms over her chest, her angry eyes looking at the wall opposite of her. She kicked her legs back and immediately yelped in pain. A low dangerous hiss accompanied Hermione's yelp and out of the shadows walked an annoyed ugly looking cat.

"Crookshanks!" yelled Hermione joyfully, her anger vanishing instantly.

In a matter of a few seconds, Crookshanks was safely in Hermione's arms. The overjoyed brown hair girl, who was close to tears, muttered sweet nothings to her cat.

Draco on the other hand, was trying to attract little attention as possible. If his memory served him correctly, it was he not Harry or Ron, that said that Crookshanks left the carriage. But unfortunately, the door swung open once again and Draco clutched his face. Incoherent swear words escaped his mouth as he gave a death glare to the dripping wet Ron and Harry.

"Harry, she found that stupid cat," exclaimed Ron excitedly. "We're not going to have to crawl in the mud anymore!"

Harry paled and looked down at the bundle he was holding in his arms.

"Then what the hell is that?" he yelled in disgust and threw the bundle at Ron.

"I don't want it," Ron insisted and shoved the bundle at Draco.

Hermione ignored her friends, taking in a few minutes to herself and her cat.

_I'll sure need it, we still have a long way to go_, she thought.

A/N: Tada! Hopefully this chapter satisfied you. I finally got them back in the carriage! I' was missing Amanda and her little friends. Until next time. Reviews?

Blue sapphire lady)


	8. Mysterious Object

Title: The Carriage Ride

Previously on chapter 7- Nothing Ever Happened…

"Then what the hell is that?" he yelled in disgust and threw the bundle at Ron.

"I don't want it," Ron insisted and shoved the bundle at Draco.

Hermione ignored her friends, taking in a few minutes to herself and her cat.

_I'll sure need it, we still have a long way to go_, she thought.

A/N: Whew, seven chapters! A lot more than what I first thought. Anyways, I found that since I haven't been updating that frequently (blame the schoolwork), I've tried to make the chapters longer. Enjoy!

Chapter 8- Mysterious Object

Hermione's sweet reunion with her "lost" cat was quickly destroyed. A scream like no other erupted inside the carriage, ripping the comforting silence into shreds. The horrible noise rang in Hermione's eardrums as she winced at the volume. The scream halted every one of their movements and brown haired girl wondered who would ever have such a reaction.

It oddly reminded her of Ron's immense fear of spiders. Hermione, who had jumped in surprise at such a noise, whipped around to find the culprit. Wet and curly hair flew in front of her face and Hermione impatiently pushed it away with one hand. Crookshanks hissed, annoyed that the attention was no longer focused on her.

Chocolate brown eyes were fixed upon the terrified figure of Draco Malfoy. It wasn't only Hermione who was staring at the questionably sane Draco, but everyone as well. Draco had gone deathly pale with all the color draining from his face. It looked as though Draco was going to faint any moment.

His gray eyes were blazing, fear widening them. The blond Slytherin was taking shaky breaths, looking as though he was to depart from this world in a few minutes. Draco's whole body trembled rather violently, his knuckles turning white as he clutched the edge of his seat with all his might.

"Don't let that touch me," he managed to gasp out loud.

Everyone looked around to see what he was talking about. The Hufflepuff girls raised their feet to their seats, looking apprehensive.

"Is it a spider?" whispered one of the girls fearfully.

Ron's whole body tensed as his blue eyes were suddenly fixed of the carriage floor. He swept the floor with his eyes while inching towards his seat.

"Of course not. Wh-Wh-Why would there be spiders?" asked Ron, his voice going an octave higher.

Draco didn't answer. He took another shaky breath instead.

A full minute passed by before the girls tentatively put their feet back down. The younger boys huffed, saying that they didn't think there were spiders to begin with.

But there was still the unexplained nervousness hanging in the air.

Suddenly Harry sniffed. And he sniffed again. Raising his head to the ceiling, the Boy-Who-Lived sniffed for the third time. He continued until Ron couldn't pretend that this odd behavior didn't pass by him unnoticed.

"Harry, what the hell are you doing?" asked Ron distractedly, staring at his friend. Every few seconds, he would steal glances at the ground. The red head had his wand out and was waving it in front of him.

"Don't you smell that?" asked Harry, wiggling his nose. Ron gave the black haired boy a strange look.

"What? Air?" replied Ron, completely lost.

"No, it smells like…something's…"trailed Harry thoughtfully.

"Like flowers?" helped Amanda.

"No," was Ron's curt answer. His dislike with that blond Hufflepuff girl only accelerated each time she talked.

"Like Sluggy Slugs?" asked Luna.

"Um…no," answered Harry. "It smells like something's _rotting_."

Ron dropped his wand in surprise. He reached out to touch Harry's forehead only have it to be angrily pushed aside.

Hermione, meanwhile, drowned out the conversation. She hadn't taken off her eyes from Draco's face. To her utter amazement, she saw that he was actually _sweating_. Chocolate brown eyes followed the beads of sweat traveling down Draco's cheek.

_What in the world is going on? What's wrong with Malfoy?_ wondered Hermione, her thoughts the same as everyone else. _What the hell is going on? _

She didn't want to say it out loud, but she was getting worried. Extremely worried.

She dropped her arms to her sides, Crookshanks suddenly forgotten. The grumpy cat hissed as she landed on her fours and walked over to her little corner.

It suddenly dawned on Hermione that Draco was talking about the mysterious bundle that was hurled at him. He must have seen what it was when it was rudely thrown at him. Draco's eyes never left the bundle, looking as though he was afraid that it would come for him. He watched with alertness the bundle now sitting on the floor.

An unexpected wave of sympathy overcame Hermione and her anger towards the blonde Slytherin melted away.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Malfoy?" asked Ron, being the first to break the silence.

Once hearing that there were indeed _no spid_ers inside, Ron had visibly relaxed his stiff body. His lanky body hunched slightly, hands tucked in his wet pockets.

A wolfish grin was slowly spreading Ron's face. The red head had just found the perfect ammunition against his worst enemy. By the far away gaze sealed in Ron's blue eyes and the expression on his face, it was easy to say at the least that he seemed very pleased. His imagination went overdrive and he fantasized about telling the story at the Gryffindor table. All the attention would be directed to him for once…

Hermione frowned at the goofy grin that was plastered on Ron's face.

Bending down, the red head scooped up the bundle with one hand. His lips suddenly twisted into a full evil smile and Hermione instantly knew that he was up to no good.

"Ron," she said warningly, walking up to him, "put the bundle back on the ground,"

Her redhead friend looked at her as though she had lost her mind.

"We have no idea what it could be. It could be something dangerous for all we know," explained the brown haired witch, being the voice of logic and reason as always.

Ron looked at his approaching friend, his face twisted into an expression of pure disbelief.

"Something dangerous"?" he quoted as Harry smoothed down a snort.

Hermione glared at Harry, her face clearly saying, "You're not helping at all."

"Don't encourage him, Harry," said Hermine, sounding like a mother hen.

"Hermione, are you crazy? This thing is like the Avada Curse for Malfoy- " said Ron excitedly, his whole face flushed.

"No," replied Hermione, her tone serious. Once again, an image of Professor McGonagoll popped into Ron and Harry's mind.

"It's like realizing what Fred and George use as ingredients for their chocolate soufflé," added Harry, backing the redhead. The black haired boy remembered quite vividly the time when the mischievous twins had put live worms in their desserts.

Hermione resisted the urge to hit both of them. Unfortunately, she didn't have a good book to use. Sometimes she couldn't believe how immature her friends could be.

"I said no," she repeated, her voice louder.

Ron eyed Draco, who was glaring back at him with such intensity that Ron's smile was wiped of his face.

"Fine," he grumbled, "Can I at least figure out what's inside this stupid cloak, since it's not a dead cat?"

Hermione started to scold him but was drowned by Harry's eager approval. She pointedly ignored Harry and Ron's complaints of how they could have stuffed the "thing" in Draco's mouth.

_Boys_, she thought.

Very dramatically, Ron raised the bundle over his head, generously allowing everyone to have a clear view. Grinning wickedly, Ron inched closer and closer to Draco.

"Stay where you are Weasley, if you like the way your face is," warned Draco dangerously, still deathly pale.

"What are you going to do, Malfoy? Scream again?" taunted Ron. Harry hastily smothered down another snort realizing that he was still under Hermione's penetrating glare.

"Ron-" started Hermione warningly. Ron gave a shrug, which only deepened Hermione's frown.

The red head slowly took off layers that covered the mysterious object in a painfully slow motion. Hermione rolled her eyes, seeing everyone's attention fixed on the object.

_Why do I feel like the only sane person here?_ she thought irritably. _The chances are that it's just going to be a rock._

The boy with a rash let out a gasp when there was only one thin layer of fabric left. Hermione turned to give the boy a strange look.

"Sorry," said the boy apologetically, a blush creeping to his face, "I got a little excited,"

Ron cleared his throat to grab his attention. With a flourish of his hand, he pulled the last layer of fabric to reveal…an animal's head.

A rock indeed.

A/N: I'm sorry, I just had to leave it at that! It was too tempting. My friend convinced me with the idea of the head and I just couldn't help myself. Good news: ¾ finished editing the next chapter (which is already written which really surprises me)…Will I get any reviews?


	9. The Head

Title: The Carriage Ride

Previously on Chapter 8…

The boy with a rash let out a gasp when there was only one thin layer of fabric left. Hermione turned to give the boy a strange look.

"Sorry," said the boy apologetically, a blush creeping to his face, "I got a little excited,"

Ron cleared his throat and with a flourish of his arm, he pulled the last layer to reveal…an animal's head.

A rock indeed.

A/N: First of all, I'm really, really sorry that this chapter is late. That's why I made it much longer than the previous ones and added the next chapter as well! Once again, huge thanks to the people who reviewed. I got some people a little confused about whether the thing was a rock or a head. It's a head (sorry, guess it was hard to detect the sarcasm). On with the story.

Chapter 9

Absolute silence roared inside the small carriage. There had been a high level of curiosity and excitement almost vibrating off of everyone's body (excluding Draco). But after the climatic moment, the curiosity and excitement had fled. A dozen pair of eyes were transfixed at the now revealed object.

Several things happened at once.

The boy with the hidden rash gave some sort of strangled squeal, his eyes wide and unbelieving as they soaked in the image in front of him. The eagerness and ill hidden anticipation was gone from his now pale face. Time slowly ticked and in a few seconds, John fainted. His small body collapsed onto the ground in an ungraceful manner, landing on top of his friend's muddy boots. John's friend didn't seem to have any luck on his part as well. He was unfortunately exposed to a full view of the head, just like his passed out friend. Opening his mouth, an ear-piercing scream ripped from the Hufflepuff's trembling lips. The scream was so loud, instantly shattering the dead silence that hung in the carriage. The fact that John had fainted and was now lying on his feet was very insignificant as the second boy starting to scream incoherent words.

Luna was one of the very few and rare people who didn't feel the need to scream tempting. A ghost of a frown appeared on her forehead, not finding screaming inside the crapped carriage necessary. But as soon as the faint frown appeared on Luna's usual dazed face, it was gone. Instead, an intense fascination sketched onto her features as the lone Ravenclaw stared at the head. While most seemed repulsed at the very thing, it was extremely noticeable that the young blond girl was inching towards it. It was as though Luna had found a lost pet and was resisting the urge to pet it in her arms.

All the Hufflepuff girls, including Amanda, joined in the screaming. The volume was so high, Hermione was certain that it could challenge a scream of a furious banshee. Hermione clapped her hands against her ears, desperately trying to drown out the horrible noise. Some of the terrified girls started to shake visibly, looking as though they too were about to faint or vomit. Three girls were already crying hysterically, their shoulders shaking with uncontrollable sobs. The atmosphere was definitely the farthest thing from calm. While all the girls shielded their eyes with their hands, Amanda stood out, staring blatantly. Horrified amazement graced her features, not aware that her mouth was open.

Although Hermione managed to remain somewhat calm (compared to the other girls), the horror and disgust played wickedly with her tired features. Almost immediately, she put her hands over her mouth, her brown eyes transfixed at the cut off head that rested on Ron's palm. The Gryffindor girl took a few steps back, suddenly feeling nauseous. Draco's reaction, in what felt like an eternity ago, made complete sense. Harry too was frozen still, unable to move away.

A spark of curiosity and dread came to life in Ron's confused eyes. He easily noticed the strong reactions from everyone and slowly lowered his hand to see what was the big commotion. Blood seemed to drain from Ron's face as realization struck him speechless. His mouth was wide open with initial shock. The head evidently had taken his undivided attention.

It was undoubtedly a goat's head. One eye was missing from its socket while the other was in danger of falling. The black iris surrounded by white glared at Ron as though silently blaming the redhead for its condition. The fur, that was once white, was now wet and dripping with red blood. It was very grotesque and didn't make anyone's imagination work too hard. The smell of rotting corpse (or head) was strong, filling everyone's nostrils.

Draco, who was still sitting down, covered his nose with his hand. The smell was too strong, making him feel like running out of the carriage. The mere idea of leaving the carriage and everyone inside it was so tempting. Walking alone in the dark seemed like nothing with what was happening now.

Unfortunately Draco's body wasn't agreeing with his plan. His legs were suddenly useless, as they lay numb disobeying his silent orders. The blond Slytherin leaned as far back against the wall as he could, looking as though he wished he could be part of the wall.

Harry's face was turning an unpleasant of green while he tried to breath normally.

Ron's reaction was slow but Hermione could see it coming nonetheless. It was like watching the sun slowly rise before it lit up the entire sky. Ron's hand started to tremble violently, drops of blood splashing against the ground and seats. The screaming and crying that were coming from the Hufflepuff girls went up a notch higher as droplets of blood splattered near them. Horror and fear filled Ron's blue eyes as he threw the goat's head with all his might. In a blink of an eye, Hermione saw the head coming straight for her direction. Thanking her lucky stars, Hermione barely missed the flying head as she ducked down, her hands protecting her hair.

"Ron!" cried Hermione in outrage as she got up from her hunched stance. "You almost hit me!"

"H-h-h-head. T-t-t-that was a g-g-goat's _head_," stuttered Ron, completely to Hermine's outburst. Soon his whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Ron! It's alright," said Harry, the calmest out of all of them. He placed a reassuring hand on Ron's shoulder, trying to calm his friend down and stop the shaking.

"It was a head. It was a goat's head," Ron continued to whisper.

"Idiot," came a whispered voice that belonged to Draco.

Hermione found herself stealing long glances at the head lying against the wall. Blood dripped from the walls, making the brown hair girl's stomach turn unpleasantly.

_Who would do such a thing?_ she thought. _How in the world did Harry and Ron find it anyways? How could they think that __**that **__was a cat_?

"Ron, you need to calm down. It's not like it's going to kill you," Harry said in what he thought was a reassuring tone.

The moment those words slipped passed his mouth, The-Boy-Who-Lived instantly regretted it. The trembling stopped and Ron was as stiff as a board.

"I'm cursed," he said out loud.

"You're not cursed," Hermione managed to say, mustering a bit of sympathy towards the redhead. She could tell that Harry needed some help as well.

But the Gryffindor girl had to admit to herself that Draco was looking a lot better than anyone else in the carriage. Beside the weeping girls, Harry was an ugly shade of green and Ron was another story completely. Hermione made sure not to make eye contact with Luna. Something about how it looked like Luna was going to grab the head and run away made Hermione's uneasiness and distaste towards the girl grow.

Draco snorted rather loudly and Hermione gave him a silencing glare.

"Don't lie to him, _wife_," said Draco with a sneering face.

A comeback ready at the tip of her tongue, Hermione held it back in surprise. Her glare faltered and then disappeared as she stared at the blond questioningly.

_Wife? What was that suppose to mean?_ she thought in confusion. Before she could say anything, Amanda suddenly leaned forward, newborn excitement shinning in her eyes.

"Was this the wedding present?" she whispered. Thankfully Harry and Ron hadn't heard Amanda's odd question while it did reach Draco and Hermione's eyes.

"Wedding present?" repeated Hermione dumbly. "What in the world are you talking about?"

Now _that _did reach Harry's ears, and the black hair boy whipped around. His emerald eyes found Hermione's and widened. Something seemed to click as Harry's expression shifted into something bordering desperation. As though he would find answers, Harry looked at Amanda and Draco back and forth several times before a look of understanding came across his features. The moment it came, it was wiped away with a look of disbelief. Harry stared at Hermione as though she had gone insane.

_What is going on?_ wondered Hermione. She knew she was missing an essential part of information …but it couldn't be that bad?

"What?" she asked, feeling very self-conscious.

"You don't hate Malfoy?" asked Harry cautiously as though her answer would cause uproar.

"Harry," said Hermione, trying to keep the impatience and sarcasms as low as possible, " I really don't find any similarities with me liking Malfoy and a goat's head,"

Harry nodded to himself at Hermione's answer, as though he finally understood. He gave her a troubled look before focusing his attention on the suddenly quiet Ron only to find that he wasn't there.

"Ron!" cried Harry in shock, looking at the place where Ron had been standing.

"Oh, he left. It looked like he was going to barf," answered Luna helpfully, her voice sweet and light as she gave a smile. Harry stared at Luna, silently wondering how on earth she could be so calm at a time like this.

Draco gave another snort, not bothering to hide it this time.

"How surprising," he said sarcastically.

Hearing this, a spark of anger and annoyance lit in Hermione's chocolate brown eyes.

"You have some nerve to even say that, seeing that you were about to faint," said Hermione. She ignored the weak protest coming from the young John who was now awake.

"Love, don't say such things to your husband. You don't want to get in trouble," replied Draco, his voice low. He gave the shocked Hermione an intense look, his eyes suddenly smoldering.

_Wha-what? Is he flirting with me? _thought the Gryffindor girl suddenly.

A blush stained her cheeks, vividly showing her embarrassment. Her mouth didn't seem to be working as Draco's words registered in Hermione's mind. Her blush darkened tenfold, making her look as red as a tomato.

An arrogant smile graced Draco's thin lips while Amanda let out a loud gasp.

"How scandalous!" the girl whispered loudly, her voice trembling with anticipation.

"Would you shut up?" asked Ron hoarsely, his voice nearing a growl.

Amanda looked stunned, as though he had just slapped her across the face.

"Excuse me?" she asked shrilly. "Don't you tell me what to do!"

Ron's ears turned red, matching his hair, indicating that he was getting angry. Harry resisted the urge to slap his forehead in exaggeration.

Hermione couldn't help but feel surprised herself. She had always imagined Amanda to be the cheerful type in any situation (even though she had known her in less than a day). Looking around, Hermione noted that it wasn't only her who was surprised.

"Maybe if you shut your-" started Ron but was quickly interrupted by Hermione. She gave a loud yell, drowning out the rest of Ron's unpleasant sentence.

"Well, then um…I think everyone knows what our main concern is right now. I also think that everyone agrees that someone should deal with the…um head," said the brown hair girl quickly and loudly.

Her voice was strong and diplomatic, a strong contrast to the childish yell a few seconds ago. But nonetheless, Hermione managed to capture everyone's attention.

"I vote Weasel to make out with the head," said Draco automatically, his voice just as strong and clear as a bell.

Luck seemed to be on the Slytherin's side as he was saved from being beaten by the aggravated Ron. Harry, with his fast reflexes, managed just in time to grab Ron's robes as the redhead tried to jump the sitting blond.

Draco, however, didn't look thankful or frightened on his part. He seemed to have received some of his calm and arrogant aura back, as he regarded Ron with obvious glee. Seeing that Harry wasn't going to let go, Ron settled for swearing colorfully at Draco, his temper getting the better of him.

"Ron!" yelled Hermione in outrage. She stared at her friend, wishing that she could punch some sense into the thickheaded boy.

The Hufflepuff girls stared at Ron in utter shock while Harry simply shrugged.

The smirk on Draco's aristocratic face slipped away.

"I wouldn't be talking if I were you, _Weasel._ Especially since you were the only one who actually touched the head. How disgusting," drawled Draco calmly while his eyes were spitting fire.

Sensing a fight approaching, Hermione interrupted once more.

"Would you two stop bickering for one second?" she screeched, unable to keep her anger in check.

The two boys paused, looking momentarily surprised. Looking away, Ron mumbled something under his breath and stopped trying to rip free from Harry's tight grasp.

"I feel very sorry for you, Henny," piped Amanda suddenly, a mischievous smile lighting her once sulking face.

_Henny? Henny! My name is not Henny!_ thought Hermione as she clenched her teeth.

She resisted the urge to hit her head against the wall. Harry looked like he wanted to join her.

"I just hate _ugly, rude_ boys. I don't really like redheads either. Freckles aren't so attractive now a days but I don't remember them being attracted ever," Amanda continued with unexplained gaiety.

It didn't take a genius to know whom Amanda was actually talking about. Ron glared down at the happy blond Hufflepuff while she purposely looked away.

"Can we _please_ go back to the subject?" asked Harry with forced politeness. "The head is staring at me," he added quietly, looking slightly haunted.

Hermione turned around to stare at the object that created so much chaos, only to turn away whishing she hadn't.

Amanda, however seemed to be deaf to Harry's question as she continued.

"I'm really glad you chose him instead that garbage over there," she added, with a wave of her hand towards Ron's direction, her comment only making things worse.

"That's it!" cried the said wizard. "I've never actually hit a girl but you're making it really hard!"

Draco was the only one who looked immensely pleased, smirking broadly right at Amanda.

"How come you're not in Slytherin?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

A pink layer dusted on Amanda's delicate and pale skin, making her look like a pampered doll.

_More like a voodoo doll with all those needles_, thought Hermione unkindly.

The stench in the carriage was becoming unbearable and now Hermione was now having the horrible sensation that the goat's head was staring at _her._

Suddenly, Amanda focused her eyes on Hermione.

"You and the Slytherin make such a good couple," she said with a sigh quickly following.

"_What?"_

End of Chapter 9

A/N: Whew! Chapter 9 is done! It feels great to be finally back! I tried to make this chapter longer than the usual length. Is it just me or does all the chapters I post seem to be so short? I was looking at them on the Internet (to find any grammar mistakes) and I couldn't help but notice that if you scroll down once, the chapters completely finished! I was assuming that I wrote so much…Well since I haven't updated this story for so long. Reviews would be very much appreciated. See you next chapter!!!


	10. Not Going To Choose

Title: The Carriage Ride

Title: The Carriage Ride

Previously on Chapter 9…

A pink layer dusted on Amanda's delicate and pale skin, making her look like a pampered doll.

_More like a voodoo doll with all those needles_, thought Hermione unkindly.

The stench in the carriage was becoming unbearable and now Hermione was having the horrible sensation that the goat's head was staring at _her._

Suddenly, Amanda focused her eyes on Hermione.

"You and the Slytherin make such a good couple," she said with a sigh quickly following.

"_What?"_

Chapter 10

Hermione didn't know if she should laugh or yell. She was sure that the people inside the carriage were slowly becoming insane (Hermione was certain that the goat head helped a lot).

Her and Draco a _couple_? It was the most ridiculous thing Hermione had ever heard. The brown haired witch finally decided with snort while silently wondering what kind of warped thoughts were in Amanda's head.

"_Please_," said Hermione and snorted again, something that was very unlike her. Harry and Ron both raised their eyebrows, staring at their snorting friend.

"Granger, please stop imitating a pig. It's irritating," said Draco with an annoyed expression.

"Don't say that to Hermione," replied Ron, defending his friend. "She can snort all she wants!"

Hermione closed her eyes, wishing she could disappear instantly. Draco's laughter doubled the young witch's embarrassment.

_Ron means well_, she reminded herself.

"By all means then Granger, snort away," Draco managed to say before bursting into laughter once more.

Hermine couldn't help herself. She shot Ron a very irritated look.

"What?" asked Ron, completely dumbfounded. Harry put a hand on the redhead's shoulder, shaking his head.

"You're just jealous," spoke Amanda, her eyes settling on Draco.

The blond Slytherin immediately quiet down.

"I'm _jealous_?" he asked incredibly. "_Of what_?"

"Of him," said Amanda simply, pointing her middle finger at Ron (which he found offending).

"_Please_," snorted Draco, oddly sounding like Hermione only a few moments ago. "There is absolutely nothing to be jealous about."

With that statement, Draco sent Hermione a smug smirk. His eyes suddenly widened for a moment and then landed on Ron. Hermione detected a glint of mischievous amusement and felt uneasy.

_He better not do anything to cause more trouble_, she thought. But of course Draco wouldn't just sit down quietly while looking out the window, deep in thought (or read a book). He just had to make the long hours a complete hell for everyone.

"Why would I be jealous if Granger has been secretly desiring me for so many years?" the blond wizard asked.

Hermione snorted.

_This is becoming a very bad habit_, she thought, covering her nose with her hand. Thankfully Harry and Ron looked just as disbelieving as she felt. _Finally we agree on something. _

"Yes, I always suspected as much," agreed Amanda full heartedly.

Ron, Harry and Hermione threw the girl a glare.

"Would you please be quiet?" hissed Hermione, her angry eyes on the curly haired Hufflepuff. Amanda shrugged.

"You can never hide true love," Amanda said, crossly her arms in front of her defiantly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Ron, however was turning red in the face. He whipped around to face the startled Hermione, his blue eyes searching.

"Choose," he said simply.

"What?" asked Hermione mystified.

"Choose who you like more," clarified Ron impatiently.

"What for? It's completely pointless," argued Hermione.

"Choose!" exclaimed Ron, the color coming back to his face full force.

Hermione frowned immediately at the imperious order.

"Don't you yell at me, Ronald Weasley," replied Hermione disapprovingly," I can hear you perfectly fine."

Ron cursed under his breath, his words reaching Hermione's sensitive ears.

"In case you've forgotten, it was _you_ who threw the head at _me_," added Hermione icily.

Ron avoided her cold glare, managing in such a short period of time to look away sheepishly.

"Don't try to change the topic, Hermione. Just pretend to choose for Weasel's sake," boasted Draco loudly, sending the angry Ron a superior look.

"Why don't you shut it?" asked Ron and Harry in unison.

"No need to scream. I can unfortunately hear you well enough," replied the Slytherin, having the grace to look annoyed.

"I wish I brought a camera," sighed Amanda dreamily, "This whole trip would have made a great photo album. I would get everyone's signature at the back."

"I wish I never came on this carriage. These people are crazy," mumbled John to himself. He was hunched over, as though scared to touch anyone as though they carried a deadly disease.

Hermione couldn't believe the situation she was in. After saying one tiny, little comment, it turned to this. She gave a long sigh, wishing that she was inside Hogwarts instead of a cramped carriage with some very strange people. It felt like days she had been stuck in the carriage, not a mere few hours. Her stomach kindly reminded her that she only had two Chocolate Frogs for lunch and she was paying dearly for it. Remembering the magnificent feast from the previous year made didn't help, as her stomach grumbled impatiently. Hermione's mouth water as her mind wandered over to the idea of the feast waiting for her.

But where was she? Stuck in a ridiculous argument that was brewing into a fight. Hermione could practically feel the tension rolling off of Harry and Ron likes waves.

"This is so stupid," she muttered to no one in particular.

Unfortunately, there was no one generous enough to voice the same opinion. Hermione send a glare to the three.

Boys.

"Choose!" yelled Ron once more, his voice becoming hoarse.

"Honestly Granger, you're killing him. Let the boy suffer in peace," Draco said, his voice laced with arrogance.

"This is so pointless," insisted the brown haired Gryffindor, clearly not wanting to be in any part of this mess. Ron's blue eyes narrowed, barely looking more than slits, at the word "boy".

"Is this the way you talk to your husband?" asked Draco with dramatic shock.

Hermione narrowed her eyes, knowing that Drao was cruelly playing with her best friends. Why Draco had suddenly taken an interest in calling her "his wife", Hermione didn't know. She thought about it as she eyed the said wizard, wondering if she wanted to know the reason behind it. Ron and Harry meanwhile wore matching scowls, their furious eyes roasting Draco alive like a dead pig.

"Why do you keep mentioning that?" asked Hermione. "Why do you call me _your wife_?"

Harry suddenly focused his attention on Hermione. His scowl, making The-Boy-Who-Lived nothing short of livid and menacing, was completely erased. With the angry lines vanished from his face, he looked so…innocent. Hermione did a double take.

_Since when did Harry have more mood swings than a girl?_ she thought incredibly, thinking how this somehow had passed her by all this time.

"You mean you don't want Malfoy to call you that?" asked Harry so quietly that Hermione had to strain to hear it. She raised her eyebrows, noticing the barely concealed glee and relief thick in his voice.

"Of course not!" she cried once the words registered in her tired head. She couldn't help but feel shocked and rather insulted that Harry had thought other wise.

"She _loves_ me, Potter," answered Draco at the same time.

To prove his point, the handsome blond patted his heart. Then, with a devilish smile intact, Draco reached out to pat Hermione's heart as well.

No matter how anybody looked at it, that little act of affection was not innocent. Hermione's face turned beet red as she slapped Draco's warm hand away. Her steady eye contact with Harry was broken as she pierced Draco with a scowl of her own.

"I do not want you to touch me," said Hermione, bringing out her wand to show that she meant business.

Hermione's heart was beating too fast and she suddenly felt the existence of what felt like a thousand butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She definitely wasn't hungry now.

_Pull yourself together_, she said to herself sternly.

And so with great difficulty, Hermione looked back at Harry, not liking the fact that her face was still red.

Ron's eyebrow twitched noticeably. The vein bulging from the side of his head didn't fail to capture people's attention.

"So you won't mind if I beat him up if he says that again?" asked Ron, eyeing the blond Slytherin as though he was an ugly bug he dearly wanted to step on.

Hermione couldn't help but frowned upon the act of violence while Harry cheered the redhead on. Her frown deepened as Draco let out a dirty comment about her, him and a French maid dress.

A/N: Terribly sorry for the long, long update. I wrote this chapter with a very big headache and a bad cough so please excuse all the spelling mistakes. I'll edit it soon enough. Chapter 11 is already more than half done so my gracious readers won't have to wait so long. Here's a little preview of chapter 11…

Preview of chapter 11

Just when Hermione thought things couldn't get any worse, the door opened. Freezing rain rushed inside while two identical heads came into view. Devilishly sly and wicked smiles lit up freckled faces that belonged to none other than Fred and George Weasley. Their eyes traveled from the girls huddled in a corner, Harry holding his nose in pain, Ron rubbing his head and Draco on top of Hermione on the ground

"You guys sure don't know how to have a party," they noted in unison, shaking their hair in shame.

A dozen faces stared with dumb expressions on their faces, watching the half naked brothers invite themselves inside the already crowded carriage. The twins were missing quite a few clothing. The only clothes they did have on were muddy shocks, black pants and Gryffindor ties.

"How the bloody hell did you find yourselves outside?" asked Ron surprised, finally finding his voice.

Fred, who had closed the door, muttered something under his breath.

"What?" asked Ron.

"He said," said George, speaking up for his brother, "that you guys must have had a farting contest in here."

The two waved their hand back and forth in front of their faces to prove their point.

"It's like that time when little Ronny didn't shower for a week," said Fred loudly, an evil grin on his wet face. He dodged Ron's punch with surprising grace.

"Or that other time when a horse crapped on him," added George, a smile of his own creeping on his face. Ron aimed for his shins only to hit air.

Fred looked down at Hermione and Draco and raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you comfy?"

Thanks for reading! Reviews please?


	11. A Little Crowded

Title: The Carriage Ride

Summary: On a stormy night, The Golden Trio is stuck in a carriage with a grumpy Malfoy and a few odd people. Unfortunately, fate seems to be laughing as Hermione suddenly has three boys fighting...over her?

Previously on Chapter 10- Not Going To Choose…

_Pull yourself together_, she said to herself sternly.

And so with great difficulty, Hermione looked back at Harry, not liking the fact that her face was still red.

Ron's eyebrow twitched noticeably. The vein bulging from the side of his head didn't fail to capture people's attention.

"So you won't mind if I beat him up if he says that again?" asked Ron, eyeing the blond Slytherin as though he was an ugly bug he dearly wanted to step on.

Hermione couldn't help but frowned upon the act of violence while Harry cheered the redhead on. Her frown deepened as Draco let out a dirty comment about her, him and a French maid dress.

A/N: I'm back!!!! Once again, huge, huge, HUGE thanks for all the people who reviewed the previous chapter!

Chapter 11- A Little Crowded

Hermione couldn't help but frowned upon the act of violence while Harry cheered the redhead on. Her frown deepened as Draco let out a dirty comment about her, him and a French maid dress.

The Hufflepuff boys were unsuccessfully in trying to look inconspicuous as their eyes would travel and land on Hermione's figure, obviously using their imagination to envision the so called French maid outfit.

Feeling several pairs of eyes landing on her simultaneously, Hermione turned to see the very young teenage boys, their eyes glued to her chest. Scowling angrily, she deliberately crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes shooting daggers. Looking dejected of having their view blocked, the Hufflepuff boys looked up to meet Hermione's furious glare and quickly became interested with their fingernails, a deep red staining their cheeks.

Amanda, on the other hand, wrinkled her nose in disgust and slightly turned her head away from Hermione as though she had smelled something foul. Amidst all the commotion, Luna had her fullest attention on her little scavenger's hunt in her dragon purple bag, searching for her cleaning equipment for her musical instrument. Head bent low, her large turban was sliding dangerously low towards her eyebrows.

But it was Draco's suggestive comment that gave birth to two viciously enraged reactions from two Gryffindor males. Harry's expression instantly transformed into an impressive scowl, his green eyes reflecting anger. He started advancing on the cheeky Slytherin, his hand searching for his wand in his pocket, his intention murderous.

Ron simply exploded.

In a flash, the redhead was suddenly on top of Draco with his left arm posed above his head. Completely dazed and caught off guard by his friend's quick action, Harry stopped midway. Hermione's burgundy eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of her, her mind telling her what was going to happen next. For three excruciating long seconds she stood stiff in shock before her limbs suddenly allowed her to move.

"Ron! Stop it! Get off of him!" she cried as she neared the two rivals. She hesitated, not knowing what to do.

Ron ignored Hermione's plea. It was obvious by his pose that he was thinking of punching Draco but suddenly thought twice. Instead, both of his hands came down and circled around the surprised blonde's neck and Ron started to throttle Draco. The look of pure outrage on Draco's face spelled trouble for Ron. Turning slightly red in the face, the Slytherin was anything but pleased. Quick to defend himself, he grabbed the redhead's nose with one hand and in the other, fisted it with Ron's long red hair. Not one to wait, Draco started to twist his grip on Ron's nose, turning left and right, thus making Ron cry out.

"You bloody idiot. Let go off my nose and fight like a man!" Ron yelled painfully as he tried to tighten his hold. Draco, unfortunately, was unable to give a reply since breathing had become a laborious process that required the majority of his energy thanks to Ron's large hands squeezing his wind pipe.

Finding that he wasn't very successful in throttling his opponent, Ron quickly switched tactics and grabbed Draco's collar. He raised the fallen wizard before purposely pushing him against the ground again. Draco's head bounced with the impact and started coughing. Once able to breathe properly, he began swearing violently. Having his head smacked against the ground, Draco silently swore to himself that Ronald Weasley would not walk away from this unharmed. He was far from achieving his revenge. Draco smashed his elbow against Ron's ribs while verbally comparing him to a donkey.

"Stop it this instant!" yelled Hermione.

Witnessing one of the most embarrassing and idiotic fights in her life (in which her friend was of the losing party), Hermione fought the urge to kick the two on the head. To say that she was annoyed was an understatement. It never occurred to her that her male friends- especially a _certain redhead_- would seriously consider to be the first to use violence as a method of silencing the arrogant Slytherin, consequences be damned.

Draco was far from achieving his revenge. With his other hand, still bunched up with Ron's hair, Draco pulled down, this time making Ron's head hit the ground. A long thin cut slowly oozed blood on his forehead as Ron's face turned red.

"Blood! Blood! There's blood," cried Amanda frantically, her eyes transfixed on Ron's forehead.

Amanda gave a shrilly scream while covering her face. "They're going to kill each other!" she screamed in panic.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" continued the ignored Hermione. She grabbed Ron's shoulders, pulling him away from Draco. Now that Ron's grip on Draco's tightened collar slackened thanks to Hermione, Draco took the opportunity to punch the redhead in the stomach. Ron doubled over, hugging his middle as his face started to turn red, a long cut slowly oozing blood.

At that point, Hermione's patience with the blond wizard's antics ended in pieces.

"How dare you?" she hissed dangerously, her tone promising trouble ahead. Meanwhile, Ron was whizzing out incoherent words.

Draco's victorious face looked up to meet the young witch's blazing eyes. His smirk faltered for a moment, seeing the seriousness etched in her face. Although he would never admit out loud, Hermione certainly looked frightening when pushed to her limits. And Draco had done just that. He had pushed all her buttons and now he was about to pay for it.

Quick as lightning, Hermione's hand hit Draco's cheek. Draco's head turned from the impact of Hermione's slap. The silence in the carriage was deafening except for Ron's coughing and Harry quietly telling his friend that "he almost had him." Everyone's eyes were glued on the motionless Slytherin. He slowly turned his head and stared up at Hermione. His smirking face had dissolved into a murderous glare as he silently wish great harm on the Gryffindor witch, the only person in Hogwarts who had ever slapped him. _Twice._

"What exactly was that, may I ask?" he said, his voice barely over a whisper.

"I've had enough of your little comments, " said Hermione angrily. "How dare you make these disgusting, suggestive comments with not even a grain of truth in it?!"

"Do you honestly think you have the right to touch me, let alone _slap me_?" Draco yelled as he got up from the ground.

"If you had at least acted as a mature student you should be, none of this would have happened!" accused the red faced witch, Ron and Harry forgotten at her feet.

"Don't try to act superior to me, Mudblood," sneered Draco nastily, secretly pleased seeing the flash of hurt passing through Hermione's surprised eyes.

The moment the insult left his mouth, Draco vaguely wondered if she was going to slap him once more.

"Then why don't you leave?" asked Hermione, pointing her hand to the door.

In just a few seconds, others too were asking the same thing.

"Yeah, go away!"

"Leave us alone."

"Get lost loser!"

"Would you like to repeat that one more time?" asked Draco dangerously, getting his wand out of his pocket. He had eyes only for one Hufflepuff boy who seemed to regret opening his mouth. "I didn't exactly catch what you said."

"The very moment you came inside, you've been causing a lot of trouble. Since everyone hear is _inferior _to you, I suggest you take your leave," said Hermione coolly as though she was talking to a slow person. Ron, unable to help himself, made a very rude gesture behind Hermione's back, his goodbye present solely for the annoyed blond.

Slowly the corners of Draco's mouth moved upwards, forming into his notorious smirk.

"I don't think you really mean that," he drawled, his eyes focused at the other side of the carriage.

"And why is that?" snapped Hermione unkindly.

"Well for one, who else would tell you that your hideous cat just ate the goat's only eyeball? It seems to be enjoying itself," explained Draco with disgust. His eyes were fixed behind Hermione's shoulder, his gray eyes mimicking the utter seriousness Hermione had shown him moments ago.

_Oh no! I'm smarter than that_, thought Hermione, tempted to laugh out loud.

"Do you honestly think I'd believe anything you'd say? Especially when you said that Crookshanks had drowned outside?!" Hermione practically snarled, her voice saturated with anger, her hands curled into fists by her sides.

"Yes," answered Draco bluntly, his eyes challenging. His tone insisted that it was the most obvious answer and that Hermione would be a fool not to listen.

"Of course I'm suppose to believe you," agreed Hermione sarcastically.

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the arrogant Slytherin in what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"Ew! Look, the cat jus swallowed the rest," whispered one of the Hufflepuff girls, nudging her friend. The two young girls openly wore expressions of absolute disgust, mimicking Draco's.

Hermione's heart sank before suddenly racing at a furious beat. Hearing those words brought little help to the brown haired girl's inner dilemma. The girl's remark repeated in Hermione's mind over and over again.

_No,_ thought Hermione, inwardly shaking her head. _Crookshanks would never do something like that. He's a smart cat._

A small but doubtful voice entered Hermione's thoughts.

_But he was hungry before we left the train…_

The Gryffindor's glare faltered for a moment and Draco could see a flicker of uncertainness. It battled against her anger as Hermione's expression slowly changed into confusion.

Hermione's features reluctantly softened as her anger drifted away. She nervously bit her lip, wondering silently at her current situation. Hermione was sorely tempted to look behind her, hoping to see Crookshanks as far away from the goat's head as possible. But that would ultimately mean that Draco was right. It would mean that Hermione believed he was telling the truth.

The brown haired witch couldn't stand it any longer. She swallowed her pride and turned her head. She caught a glimpse of Draco's triumphant smirk out of the corner of her eye but wisely decided not to act upon it.

Her suspicions were found to be true as her eyes widened at the sight. Crookshanks was indeed close to the goat's head…a little _too close _for Hermione's liking.

Hermione's eyes looked for the one eye. Dread washed over the Gryffindor girl as she found that _both eyes_ were missing. Color drained from Hermione's panic stricken face.

"Cr-Cr-Crookshanks!" she cried, her voice coming out high-pitched.

The Gryffindor ran towards her grumpy but satisfying looking cat. Crookshanks lazily stuck out his pink tongue, bringing the small drops of blood into his mouth. Hermione grabbed the eyeball eater and started to shake the poor oblivious animal.

"Spit it out! Spit it out!" yelled Hermione hysterically. Draco raised his eyebrows at Hermione's back.

_I wasn't expecting that,_ he admitted silently to himself.

Truth be told, he did see Crooksanks chew on the fallen eyeball. It was out of generosity on his part (and maybe to taunt her as well) that Draco had even pointed that out. Revenge was fresh on his mind but he didn't even dare to ask for his "thank you", seeing Hermione's reaction.

Not yet, that is.

He had always imagined that the bookworm stayed calm during situations like these and it would be her bodyguards who would be crying and fainting like the idiots they were.

"She's going crazy," muttered one of the younger boys.

"They're all crazy," answered his friend just as quietly matter-of-factly.

Draco looked around, realizing that no one was stepping up to help the crazed Hermione. Ron had practically ran outside to barf, the idea of his "favorite" cat eating a goat's eye making him quite sick. Somehow Harry's glasses broke and in blind attempt, the black-haired wizard was trying to repair his glasses. Luck certainly left him as his blurred vision proved difficult where to sit.

_Of course Potter picks the best opportunity to go blind. And Weasley-well, he wouldn't have been any help to begin with_, thought Draco, rolling his eyes. He threw a disgusted look towards the door, wishing that he didn't have to hear the barfing coming from the redhead. Draco concluded that many felt the same, their expressions speaking volumes.

Harry was yelling soothing words to his evidently distressed friend but Hermione's growing hysterics drowned out his voice.

Draco looked around, realizing that the only person who could help the bushy haired cat lover…was him. By taking only a swift glance, Draco could tell that the younger students were trying to stay as far away as possible. By their obvious body language, Hermione was now equivalent to a contagious disease.

A/N: For all the people who thought I disappeared because of my long absence, I must say I am very sorry. I haven't given up on this story, I will continue to post more chapters and with summer finally here, I'll have more time. I have to admit, I had a bit of writer's block with this story and Truth or Dare, but I've finally gotten some plot ideas and the stories are continuing. I was a bit hesitant with this chapter but I hope you'll like just as much as the previous reviews. I know on chapter 10 I had hinted that Fred and George would appear in chapter 11 but I changed things a bit. The twins will appear in the story, only later on. I'm hoping to post the next chapter this Saturday. Reviews would be greatly appreciatedJ. Thanks,

Blue sapphire lady


	12. Getting Too Close

The Carriage Ride

Chapter 12-Getting Too Close

xxx

Summary: On a stormy night, the Golden Trio is stuck in a carriage with a grumpy Malfoy and a few odd people. Unfortunately, fate seems to be laughing as Hermione suddenly has three boys fighting…over her?

...previously on Chapter 11- A Little Crowded

Draco looked around, realizing that the only person who could help the bushy haired cat lover...was him. By taking only a swift glance, Draco could tell that the younger students were trying to stay as far away as possible. By their obvious body language, Hermione was now equivalent to a contagious disease.

A/N: Everything belongs to the wonderful JK. Rowling.

xxx

The only person who wasn't affected by the gruesome truth was Luna. Humming quietly to herself while cleaning her odd musical instrument, she was oblivious to the chaotic environment around her. In a relaxed manner, her hands moved to its own accord as her fingers went in and out of several different shapes, holes and tubes, her glittery green nail polish catching the light every few seconds from the dying lamp on the wall. Giving a contented sigh once she had completed her cleaning, Luna placed her instrument and cleaning equipment aside. Drowsy eyes looked around as she absentmindedly fixed her turban. Curiously she looked at Hermione as the grief-stricken Gryffindor let out a heart-wrenching sob. Hermione was cradling Crookshanks on her lap, unabashedly letting tears and snot slide down her face.

Luna made a pitying noise at the pathetic sight in front of her and asked, "Would you like if I sing for your cat?" She motioned with her hand her instrument lying on a vacant red seat.

A simultaneous groan was heard inside the carriage. Although Harry always thought the best of Luna (really he did- in a secretive sort of way), he couldn't help but wonder if Luna had decided to show suicidal tendencies. Now was not the time to hear the horrible screeching noises coming from that Merlin-knows-what excuse of an instrument. Earlier on, the atmosphere in the carriage was anything but pleasant but now it had taken a nosedive.

Immediately Hermione stopped her crying. Her whole body stiffened and she slowly turned around to face the strange Ravenclaw.

Draco, who had been silent for quite some time, let out a strangled noise. It was hard to tell for those around him if if was a snicker as he quickly coughed into his fist.

_Really,_ he thought. _This is absolutely ridiculous. It's an ugly cat. Let it go._

But Draco felt something stir within him once he saw Hermione's tear stained face. The humor he was feeling about the whole situation melted away. It was disquieting but Draco had to admit to himself that it was not as entertaining to see the Bushy-Know-It-All cry. The situation at hand was quickly turning into one of the most awkward moments Draco was unfortunately placed into. He didn't know what to do (what kind of man did?) nor did he really want to either. He was fervently praying that someone-anyone- happened to have a handkerchief nearby.

His storm gray eyes roamed over her face and he concluded point-blank that Hermione was not a pretty crier.

She sniffled.

_Dear god,_ he thought. To his horror, the blond Slytherin felt a twig of guilt and pity. Taunting crying witches with snot on their faces was not one of Draco's favorite past times. Hermione's normal look never did pass Draco's base expectations of being well-dressed but this was an altogether different matter. Seeing her now with her red and puffy eyes only reminded him of the ugly-flower-eating-insects that needed to be burned, stabbed and ripped off of those stupid plants in last year's Herbology classes. The poor Gryffindor's already embarrassingly low spot on his mental list of _Dashing and Best Dressed at Hogwarts _shot all the way down.

But Draco's sympathy evaporated into thin air once he saw Hermione's eyes. The cat lover was giving the kind (but unsuspecting) Luna a murderous glare.

_Granger's going to explode_, he thought. Looking over the situation with a critical eye, Draco concluded that the odds were in favor that Loony Luna was going to be the victim of Hermione's dangerous and raging temper.

"I'm a fool," he sighed as he slowly got up from his seat. His final decision was made: he was to go against his Slytherin beliefs and save Loony Luna.

Oddly enough, Harry was aware that Draco was moving. He didn't like it when Draco moved. In fact, if it were up to the himself, Draco's unconscious body would be glued to the bottom of the carriage.

"Malfoy, where are you going? Sit back down. Don't you dare _touch_ Hermione, you understand me?" warned Hermione's blind bodyguard.

Draco was surprised that Harry could see him at all. The Boy-Who-Lived reached his hand in front of him as though hoping to grab Draco to confirm his nearby presence. His hand fisted nothing but thin air. Draco, having enough of The-Boy-Who-Lived-But-Couldn't-See-Without-His-Damn-Glasses, forcefully pushed the rising black haired boy back to his seat.

"Would you shut it, Potter?" hissed Draco, annoyance clear in his voice. Harry squinted his green eyes, internally hoping that he was putting on a don't-mess-with-me look on his face. But no matter how much he squinted, he couldn't gauge Draco's expression. In fact, he could barely see the Slytherin's profile. Harry gave a sigh.

"I might not be able to see at the moment but I can hear, Malfoy. I can hear. _Everything_," said Harry threateningly. He gave little thought to Draco's earlier and rose from his seat. The Boy-Who-Lived tapped his ears while trying to give an intimidating look amidst his current blindness. Draco, on the other hand, wondered how Hermione could ever befriend such an idiot. He resisted the urge to punch Harry in the face by promising himself that no doubt the opportunity would arise later on in the future.

Preferring not to repeat himself, Draco left Harry standing there aimlessly and walked over to the very emotional and unstable Hermione. In two short strides Draco's looming figure was standing over Hermione who looked as though she was going to break into tears all over again. Draco was going to make sure that she never cry in his presence again. He absolutely hated the noise.

Opening his mouth, he stopped himself short, a disgusted look on his face. He couldn't believe what he was doing. A Slytherin comforting a Gryffindor! He was betraying his house, his reputation and the cleanliness of his clothes to comfort a crying girl. Draco mentally thanked the high heavens that none of his school colleagues were here to witness this despicable act of kindness towards a sniveling witch. Without his Machiavellian attitude towards Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, house elves and ugly insects, what was he?

_Get it over with,_ he ordered himself.

He paused.

What exactly was he supposed to say?

A panicked look flitted across Draco's face as he stood there speechless, not liking the idea of being a speech invalid beside a time bomb. Hermione, who had sensed Draco's looming presence, whipped around to face him. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What do you want, Malfoy? Come to make fun of me as well? Want to tell me "I told you so"? Or are you going to sing a funeral song instead?" asked Hermione, her voice rising until she was shrieking.

"Granger, shut up," commanded Draco, saying the first thing that came to mind.

Hermione's mouth snapped open in shock.

"And stop crying, you look horrible like…that," continued Draco lamely, finished Draco lamely, rudely waving his hand at Hermione's face as though that explained everything.

"Idiot," muttered Harry under his breath, shaking his head. "He's never going to have the same face again. You'd think you'd learn after the first time."

"Beating him up is now my number one goal," muttered the red-headed freckled wizard. Ron re-entered the carriage, a dark look on his features. With his arrival came the strong wind and the freezing rain. Instantly there were cries for "someone to shut the door already!". Both Harry and Ron tried to close the carriage door but to no avail against the stubborn, howling wind.

"Didn't you do that already?" shouted Harry, reminding his friend of the fight that happened only a few minutes ago.

Ron decided not to answer. Frustrated and wet, he kicked the door with all his might. Surprisingly it closed shut. The red-headed wizard tiredly slumped down on a vacant seat right in the middle of the Hufflepuff girls. With all the refined etiquette of an ant, Ron wiped his mouth with his sleeve, vomit and other mysterious substances staining his clothes. This earned him many "ews", "gross!" and "he smells" from the girls as they migrated to a crowded area. In only five seconds, Ron had one entire side of the carriage for his pleasure. Not particularly caring about what the younger students thought of him, Ron laid down on his back, his arms hugging his middle.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Draco were in their usual routine of bickering back and forth. Just about to respond with a nasty retort, Hermione instead let out a surprised yelp as the carriage suddenly moved sideways. Only two wheels on the muddy road were supporting the tilted carriage. Hermione found herself on the floor, Draco's weight pinning her down. The two were clutching their heads, both moaning in pain.

"You hit my head," Draco loudly accused Hermione.

The brown haired witch gave Draco a watery glare. She opened her mouth to reply but her voice was completely drowned out by the Hufflepuffs' screams.

"It's the goat's body looking for it's head," cried one of the Hufflepuff girls as she covered her head, completely losing her mind.

"What the-?" were Harry's words before he fell face first on the ground, tripping on someone's elbow.

Hermione's face was pressed intimately into Draco's neck. She gritted her teeth, hating that she was stuck in a lover's embrace. Both of her arms were circled around his narrow waist, her hands resting on his back. One of his hands was cradling her waist protectively while the other was innocently lying on her breast. His hands were surprisingly warm and strong. A dark red crept up her neck until Hermione was sure that she was tomato red in the face. She momentarily glanced up at him only to catch him staring down at her. His storm gray eyes lacked the usual disdain and disgust she regularly saw when she looked at him. Instead he was focusing intensely at her, his eyes tracing her nose, lips, cheeks and coming back to her wide eyes.

_What is he doing?_ Wondered Hermione faintly. There was an unreadable expression written on his face and for the life of her, Hermione had no idea what he was thinking. Her heart started to beat faster and she quickly lowered her eyes, choosing instead to glare at his shoulder.

Then he squeezed her breast.

"Malfoy! Get your hands off of me right now!" bellowed Hermione angrily.

Draco had the audacity to smirk down at her.

"Sorry, I can't. I never thought that you'd be slow with details and such but unfortunately Granger, we are stuck," said Draco and with good measure, squeezed once more.

Hermione tried with all her might to move her hands from Draco's back. She had quite a few ideas as what to do with them once they were free. The idea of strangling him with both her hands strongly enticed the enraged Hermione. But unfortunately no matter how hard she tugged and pulled, she couldn't free her hands from his back. A Hufflepuff boy on the heavier side was lying unceremoniously on top of Draco. He was clutching his nose with both hands and wailing miserably as tears fell down his round cheeks.

"My nose! My nose! My nose!" he cried in a panic voice as Hermione simultaneously yelled, "Get off! Get off! Get off!"

"My, my, Granger. Looks like someone has a bit of a temper," drawled Draco quietly into her ear.

The blond Slytherin absolutely loved it when he found himself near the female Gryffindor at times like these. Seeing her self control melt away and leaving a frazzled and furious young woman made him grin devilishly. To be able to push her buttons and witness her in such a disheveled state made his heart beat faster and his eyes turned into an intense dark gray.

Hermione sensed something had changed about him. Up until now, he had acted as a spoiled, rich and conceited young wizard, always looking down at her from the bottom of his aristocratic nose. But now he had the look of a predator, his devilish grin and white teeth reminded Hermione of  
a hungry wolf. He was taunting and teasing her as though she was some kind of prey.

Draco's arm that was snuggled against her waist slowly started to descend. Long, elegant fingers were skimming past her pleated skirt. Hermione widened her eyes in shock.

"Malfoy, you better stop right this moment," she whispered, her voice promising imminent pain.

Draco ignored her warning. He was feeling a sensation that he rarely felt before.

He was feeling crazed.

Ignoring the warning voice in his head, he continued to taunt the bushy-haired witch with suggestive bodily movements. Right at this moment, he was in control. He finally had the upper hand. Draco had managed to get under her skin and see her squirm. With their verbal confrontations, she was too good. Hermione was always quick, witty and had an endless supply of sharp retorts at hand. Even when he cursed her, not a hint of hurt or anger appeared on her face. But now he was pushing her away from her comfort levels and he enjoying every minute of it.

"Malfoy, please stop it," gritted Hermione angrily.

Hermione knew that he was mocking her. Pinned under his intense gaze, she could read amusement and even...desire in those swirling gray orbs. Unlike the blond Slytherin, Hermione was not enjoying the circumstances fate had put her into. She was livid. She did not appreciate being played around as some sort of toy.

Draco licked her ear.

Hermione very nearly exploded.

She looked away from Draco's scorching gaze. Her eyes rested on her scarlet and gold Gryffindor tie. She knew what he was doing and her hands clenched in fists. Her hands were still tied at his back so she would use the only available weapon she had.

Draco, thinking that Hermione's lowered gaze meant that she was submitting to him, lowered his head, a grin dancing on his lips-

- only to have Hermione look up defiantly and head butt him in the face.

xxx

Author's Note:

After such a long time I have finally updated! I'm really sorry for all my viewers who had to wait so long for the next chapter. If it's any consolation I'm in the process of writing the next chapter and the wait will definitely not be as long. Hopefully this chapter was a bit satisfying. I'll be posting up chapters for my other stories as well. Reviews are greatly appreciated and see you guys next time ;)

blue sapphire lady


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